The hardest parts of owning and operating a small business require me to talk to strangers diplomatically every day. Living outside my comfort zone is part and parcel of life. Dealing with this plus the day-to-day operations of the business itself is very demanding.
Here are the top Four Most Difficult Aspects of Running a Small Business for me. I’ve included how I battle burnout to slog ahead toward entrepreneurial independence.
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I am fortunate to have some fantastic clients. I also have mediocre clients and the occasional dud. I am the owner of a full service digital marketing agency. The firmly plants me in two camps:
1. Owner. My job is to ensure profitability, manage projects, determine and implement the strategic operational strategy for the business.
2. Account Manager. Keep clients happy by doing great work, training & managing others, ensuring my business partner has buy in with autonomy and hiring well be it contractor or CEO.
Recently these two aspects of my position are at odds. This is a sign it may be time to phase out a client. If you cannot safeguard the wellness of the business’ profit, pursue your operational growth objectives and keep a client happy, it’s time to move on.
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Brand Promise. You need one.
“Great!” you say.
“What is that?”
Okay. Crafting your Brand Promise is a process. It begins with asking some questions.
Image courtesy: Scrapbook Marketing Minute
I began Howe Innovative Design to solve a problem. There simply weren’t affordable yet skilled web designer in my area. It was one or the other. My first client was a local non-profit. This opened the door to creating client solutions and developing what was to become my brand identity.
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I packed a Penske with everything we owned and headed North. Relocating to Olympia, WA from Salt Lake City, Utah.
I noted a severe lack of quality web developers and web marketing in Thurston County. Seriously, it’s dismal. There are exactly 2 firms in town with portfolios worth a damn. Of those, neither perform content driven design or offer any content or substantive marketing services at all.
My ambition and gusto coupled with the proceeds of a house sale propelled me to talk with anyone and everyone in Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey, all adjacent cities, about any and all web related topics. I attended Social Media Club Meetings in Seattle and Portland and several other exciting new gathering emphasizing collectivism in technology.
My excitement grew, as did my newly designed website. At last, my years of experience, all those non-billable hours spent learning, studying, coding and mingling with anti-social webbies- I had arrived.
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Overwhelmed with men, yet thoroughly unmanly-technology is the best place for women, mothers, wives and teachers.
One of the many advantages of attending technology conferences as a woman; no lines at the bathroom. There’s more sausage than Oktoberfest in Frankfurt at any given technology event. As a woman, I’ve been snickered at when discussing new code I’m developing or a new framework I’m experimenting with. I comfort myself knowing many of these “men” have loving relationships only with two dimensional women of cyber porn and gaming, although saying so will not make you popular or superior.
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Are you still trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up? Despite that college degree, your current job and much thought- you’re just not sure. What you do know: “I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life.”
All those lofty goals and high-minded ambition of your youth are waning in the face of corporate culture. The business cycles of recession foiled your plans, filling you with fear and emptying your bank account. How do you get from where you are now to where you want to be?
June 9, 2015
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