Reflections On One Year In Business As An Entrepreneur
I left my full-time job to become an entrepreneur at the beginning of 2019. At the time, I had a few freelance clients I’d been working with on the side, and no specific goals. I registered as an LLC almost immediately (thanks to the help of the McLean County Small Business Development Center), then opened a separate checking account and credit card shortly after. Next, I built my website and hit the ground running.
My intention was to be a fully online business, like most of the women business owners I followed and looked up to. Two of my three clients were based elsewhere in the country and I thought I’d build from there. However, I became disenchanted with the gig mindset of Upwork (where I’d previously found clients) and content mills. Most users on those sites want cheap and fast. I wanted to create quality work and deep relationships, not produce as high of volume as possible. My one local client was a super-referrer, I joined a networking group called The Buzz, and by the end of the year, 15 of my clients were either local or referrals from existing relationships.
At the beginning of the year, I kept telling people, “I’ll give this entrepreneur thing 3-6 months and get a ‘normal job’ if it doesn’t work out.” I now realize that’s NOT enough time to create anything indicative of future success. But as time went on, the snowball kept rolling forward, collecting more momentum. Now, I’m in it for the long haul.
Lessons Learned As An Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is no small undertaking. I’ve learned this year that ultimately, business is about being of service to others. Yes, you need to sell your product or service, and you need to protect your time. But at its core, your business offers a solution to someone’s problem. The more useful you can be, the faster you’ll grow.
Building a business is something special. While of course it’s a means to support my family and pursue my own goals, it’s also the avenue through which I’ve been most able to contribute to the world. I love that through my business, I can bolster other people’s dreams, hopes, and impact. My strengths—organization of ideas and processes, creative problem solving, understanding many points of view—complement a business owner’s and supplement their team’s.
Throughout this year, I’ve learned that all the visible success of people you encounter online was gradual. Often, you come across their content YEARS into their journey. At the same time, it’s comforting to know there’s always someone a step behind you. My advice: Reach back and help how you’re able. Find peers who understand what you’re currently going through. And look to those ahead of you who can elevate your game.
Celebrate the wins—no matter how small. Don’t let the little things slip, but keep an eye on the big picture of where you want to go. This will prevent you from getting lost in the weeds. Outsource where you’re able, sometimes even before you’re ready. Bringing on help allows you to work on the aspects of your business that you do best, and therefore enables you to grow sooner. (This is something I haven’t done yet in my own business, but I’ve been thinking about how I can automate, outsource, and eliminate.) Beyond that, constantly stay on the lookout for learning opportunities—they’re out there waiting for you.
The Gems—The Best Parts Of Owning A Business
I’ve always been a hobbyist, a dabbler. I know a little about a lot of industries and topics, so I appreciate not having to commit to a single issue in my business. The variety in type of work also suits me. I can create audience personas for a political campaign, write a press release for a homeopathic product launch, and oversee logo development and build a website for a food co-op. I know I likely need to niche down in the future, but this year was all about variation and exploration.
Defining things on my own terms has been empowering. I see the world differently than most people, partly because that’s how my brain works (highly sensitive, while simultaneously deeply logical), and partly from being shaped by my travels and unique experiences. My whole career, I’ve been in communications roles. This is likely because I come from the nonprofit sector, so “marketing” doesn’t always align with the industry lingo. However, I discovered midway through the year that the work I do is marketing. Plus, marketing is a lot more marketable than communications…go figure.
I also chose to frame myself as a small business owner, rather than a freelancer. I want to build something bigger than myself and look for lasting relationships and impact, rather than hunt for my next gig. (That said: being a freelancer can and often is a full-time job. No hate to all the freelancers out there doing awesome work!)
I’m self-motivated by nature and have only ever had one collaborative supervisor, so being my own boss works well. Being solo (at least for now!) also means less directionless team meetings. No one pops into my office when I’m on a deadline. And I only collaborate with clients I choose to. I work when I want and don’t have to answer to anyone when I need—or want—to take a few hours or a day off. (Note: I have this freedom because I work ahead when possible and keep an open line of communication with my clients…I don’t randomly drop offline.) Although entrepreneurship can consume someone’s personal life, I’ve actually found more work-life balance and free time this year. (The entire previous year, I’d been working a full-time job while freelancing on the side.) The icing on the cake of my current work situation: no commute, all-day pjs, and unlimited snacks.
The online resources available to entrepreneurs, for both learning and community, are amazing. So much free content exists, produced by people who were at exactly your phase of business, often not long ago. As these business owners progress, they share their experiences and insight. In terms of real-time resources, Facebook groups like Freelancing Females, Creative Lady Collective, The Copywriter Club, and groups run by coaches you jive with are invaluable. Via these groups, I even received free sessions from two women working on their coaching certifications. It was fulfilling to talk through ideas with a neutral person who “gets it”.
I also attended one conference and two local workshops in 2019. In 2020, I want to travel to at least one conference. Ideally, I’ll find one where I can connect with new people, not just new information. (I have a whole spreadsheet of options based on topic, date, price, and location. If you know me well, that’s not a surprise.) Eventually, I might even join in a mastermind or other shared community. I’m reserving this investment for once I nail down my exact growth goals.
The Rocks—What’s Tricky to Manage As An Entrepreneur
Sometimes with one-off projects, I don’t get to witness or feel its impact. This one-and-done work is generally less rewarding than a project I see through from start to finish. Plus, if the client doesn’t fully implement or leverage my work, actual impact lags behind its potential. I’m drawn to projects with a strong sense of accomplishment at the end, tied to a specific goal.
Pricing is hard. Plain and simple. Especially since my work is done solely by me, it feels strange to place a value on myself. I’ve been inconsistent with my pricing and I want to establish benchmarks for myself so quoting becomes easier. I also need to create packages, which will streamline the process for clients and potentially facilitate projects with a fuller scope.
Speaking of money, sometimes getting paid is a struggle. I’ve heard horror stories from other service-providers. Personally, I’ve only ever had to ask one client for payment for months on end like a debt collector. Still, with many clients, there is some serious lag-time between when I send the invoice and when I actually get paid. Because of delayed payments, some of my busiest months had my lowest revenue, whereas in my highest paying month of the year, I took the most days off. I’m good at keeping a financial cushion and planning ahead, but the unpredictability can make your heart race if you’re not careful.
Honestly, I’m my own worst client. While I enjoy messaging and persona work for my clients, it’s difficult to determine my ideal audience and how I can best serve them. I know going into 2020, I want to work with conscious companies. But I’m still navigating if there’s a certain stage of business I’m able to support most effectively. I like launches—either for brands (or re-brands) or products—because I get to be part of a larger process. I also like pitching for PR exposure and creating templates. And I think I’ve established that I collaborate best with clients who know a little about marketing strategy, but don’t have the skills or time to implement themselves. When I work with people who have no insight into my field, they don’t always appreciate the value I can bring or see opportunities for future collaboration.
Because I’m still fine-tuning who I want to target, my own web copy and design is in flux and has already gone through a few iterations. I want to figure out how to better showcase my work in a way that’s cleaner and more navigable. I’ve also begun to tackle the SEO beast, but since I haven’t nailed down my target audience and key service offerings, my keywords aren’t fully optimized. Currently, I use WordPress, and Yoast has been an amazing tool for page-level copywriting and blogging. However, I think I’d have more visual control of my site on Squarespace, so I might jump ship at some point.
A Year In Review—By The Numbers
As a content strategist and copywriter, I’m all about the words, but here are a few numbers that sum up this year’s entrepreneurial adventure:
Moving Forward As An Entrepreneur in 2020
One year in, I can’t imagine ever going back to an office where I have to report at exactly 9am and can’t leave before 5pm, with precisely 30 minutes to eat lunch. I may not run Ashlee Sang Consulting for the rest of my life, but I’ll definitely forge ahead for the foreseeable future.
Ultimately, I’m happy with my first year as an entrepreneur. I was profitable, albeit modestly—I have much higher revenue goals for 2020 now that I know my business is viable. The opportunities for personal and professional growth are endless. I’d like to connect with a like-minded group and build a network of collaborators. Subcontracting this year was a positive experience, and I’d like to be able to contract work out myself as well.
I’m not sure how I want my business to evolve in 2020 and beyond. I like the idea of establishing deeper, longer term relationships with clients to propel them forward in increasingly meaningful ways. The prospect of becoming a full-service agency (even if on a small scale) is exciting to me. I’d like to offer not just the strategy and content, but also the design and analytics.
While I want to hone in on clients that totally align with my values and ethos, I’m happy with the clients I’ve served thus far. Small businesses and nonprofits already “check many of my boxes” because our work together means something to real people. Even if I’m promoting a product I’d never use or a service I’ll never need, supporting their business from the inside means supporting the owner’s dream and their family. (And often, the community.)
It’s wonderful that women and minority entrepreneurs are on the rise. Thanks to the power of the internet, people are able to carve out their own space in the world and in their niche markets. I believe that values-driven, conscious business will continue to grow in the coming decade and I’m all for it.
Good Luck On Your Journey
In 2020, I wish you the best of luck as you build and grow your business. Life as an entrepreneur takes grit and vision, so kudos to all who make the leap and stick with it.
Finally, a big thanks to my collaborators, clients, and referrers. This year was great in large part because of you all.
Drop me a line if you ever need a friendly ear to chat through an aspect of your business. Or if you think I can help with any of your marketing strategy needs, I’d love to share your message that matters.