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My Story as an Entrepreneur - Interview With a Linkedin Connection

2/23/2020

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A couple of the most inspiring mentors in my life, (middle) Linda Wellbrock, Founder of Leading Women Entrepreneurs, (right) Mary Jo White, an incredible, selfless leader and Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley, and myself (left)
Recently a young, bright college student and aspiring entrepreneur, Leon Gogiqi, reached out to me on LinkedIn asking about my story.  I thought I would share our conversation for other aspiring business owners to see if it may help anyone in their own journey.

I actually want to build a company of my own someday. So I'm curious, how did you start out Clairant Services and what steps did you [take] for it to grow?

It's a long story :) I'll make it short.
I spent years as a marketing executive at different companies and realized my passion was for the startup world. I had many opportunities come my way that I had to turn down because I had a corporate job and no time for anything else.  I really wanted my cake and eat it too but the time wasn't right. I had fear of starting my own business for many reasons including, economic pressure and fear of not knowing enough. As the years progressed I educated myself with business books, paid attention to the best practices and mistakes of my leaders and finally took the leap and promised myself I would not be fearful.  I didn't look back and I would move forward with the knowledge I had, keep learning and ask if I need help. So far so good! Clairant is growing and taking off at a rate faster than I had hoped for!

What would you say has been the hardest thing about making that jump into the startup world?
My biggest challenge right now is the feeling of not knowing what's ahead.  When you rely on clients to stick around to pay your bills it's tough to stomach the fear of one or more leaving.  Another challenge is that I am growing so fast that the work is starting to pile up. I am getting the business and I am also doing the work with some help of some amazing contractors right now, but soon I will need more help. So it's making that decision to hire someone when you don't necessarily have the steady revenue coming in but you know you will soon need it.  I don't have any investment capital so I rely solely on my revenue which is a huge challenge. But I like the challenge and the desperation makes you work even harder. It's a rush and it's so much fun. It's also a great problem to have and a sign that Clairant is growing.

How did you decide marketing was the service you'd want to offer?
Because I love watching companies grow and succeed and I love understanding and watching my behavior affect that success. It's a rush to see your clients moving in the right direction and meeting all the goals they dreamed they would some day meet. Also the last decade of my life has been in marketing so I had the experience and knowledge to back me. It's also a very positive atmosphere which I need in my life and love being apart of.
 
Where was your first big breakthrough in terms of running a business? Like where you knew this company was going to last?
Well I think we never really know that it will last but you just keep doing the best you can do to run it efficiently and improve every day.  But I think if I had to choose one moment it was when I got my second client. The first one was great but the second one proved that if I could get 2 then I could get 3 and 4 and so on.  And so I kept at it, and used the same methods that previously brought me success and that kept getting me more clients.

Have you ever changed the methods for finding clients or has it been the same ever since?
I test campaigns on different channels all the time but so far networking is the most lucrative way to get new clients. Also referrals! Word of mouth is huge.
 
Is there anything specific you lead off with when getting new clients?
When I engage with people I am always more interested in learning about them than I am talking about myself.  I always show an interest in their companies and I ask them a lot of questions to learn about their brand and their offerings. I am genuinely interested in how each individual company operates and promotes themselves.  They later ask what I do and then it naturally goes from there. No need to sell anything... We are building relationships.

If you have any other questions about my journey as a new business owner or about marketing, please leave them in the comments below.


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Suggestions for More Effective Marketing

2/16/2020

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  1. Listen to your customers 
    Send out surveys, ask questions on social media, shadow your customers for a day or have a customer appreciation event to get to know them better. If you learn exactly what it is your customers need or want then you can better match your product and advertising to the demand. Ask them to identify their biggest pain points. This will shape your marketing message to show that your brand provides the solution your customers need. The power of knowledge is underrated! That brings me to the next suggestion...
  2. Sell the benefits of your product. Not the features.
    Too many companies list features of their services or products without pointing out the benefits on their advertisements. If you want to connect with your customers, you need to understand exactly how your product or service will make their lives better. The features are great! But how do they help your customers get through their days easier, how does it solve their problems and why is your solution better than the other options on the market? See the first suggestion above for ideas on how to better understand your customers.
  3. Track your campaigns
    To understand the true ROI of your marketing efforts it is a great idea to choose campaigns that are trackable. This could mean digital or traditional advertising, trade shows or email marketing. For traditional advertising make sure you have a trackable phone number, or landing page on the ads. You can also dedicate a specific email address for these campaigns. For digital marketing, customized landing pages are a must and make sure google analytics is attached to your site for great analytics on all your traffic and the behavior of your users. By tracking your campaigns, you can quickly understand which channels are delivering the best ROI and which ones to abandon. No one wants to waste money on marketing so stop your untracked campaigns now and make them trackable!
Questions or comments?  Let us know below. We love to hear from you!
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3 Great Tips for Working From Home

2/9/2020

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  1. Work in a clean space
    Working from home is tough when you are sharing your space with roommates, your spouse, family members, and/or kids. Dodging messes and dishes can be distracting and may take away from your work. Allow yourself a designated amount of time each morning before sitting down to work to tidy up a bit. It will cleanse your mind (and your house so you don’t have to do it later), and give you the clarity you need to be efficient and effective working from home. Some people enjoy sitting in the same place every day at home in a designated space for work. Others enjoy moving around. Try new things and see what makes you the most productive and then create a routine out of it.
  2. Put everything on your calendar
    Working from home can be overwhelming sometimes as you mix business and personal errands each day. This is the beauty of working from home, right? Right, but you have to organize your time effectively. Sometimes you have doctors appointments during the day, a meeting with a client immediately after, a conference call with a potential client, a networking event and a dentist appointment for the kids.  Don’t rely on your memory for these things because you are bound to forget something. Put every event in your calendar and feel at ease that you have everything under control. And remember to always check your calendar the night before in case you have an early meeting the next day.
  3. Balance: Take breaks and know when to stop
    It is very easy to get caught up with work and forget to eat breakfast, lunch, or your coffee sits on the counter and gets cold without you ever taking more than a sip. Set your alarm and take short breaks every two hours. Take the dog for a walk, grab a snack or a cup of tea. This really helps to rejuvenate and clear your head so you will be more effective in the rest of your day. The same goes for at the end of the day.  It is very easy when working from home to keep the laptop open at the kitchen table during dinner, or open it back up when you’re done. Put your work away. Be present. If there isn’t something that needs your attention immediately then it can wait until tomorrow. Balance is super important and although you are working from home which is flexible and great, it does expose you to your work at all times and can be tempting to never put it down.  
Questions or suggestions? We would love to hear from you. Please comment below!
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Expert Tips on Growing Your Business

2/3/2020

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  1. Don’t try to boil the ocean
    A multichannel approach for your marketing strategy is great, but don’t try too many unproven methods at the same time. Take short campaign sprints with each channel.  Test different ads and campaigns to see which brings in the highest success rates. Abandon approaches that don’t work and put more money into campaigns that show proven results. This will maximize your ROI and ensure you that you’re not wasting your time and money on campaigns that bring in no results.  
  2. Be the best employer you can be
    Remember, people don’t quit companies, they quit bosses.  When you are an employer who appreciates your employees and values the work they do, your employees will not only work harder but they will stay longer. This usually increases profits and reduces costs! Turnover is expensive. Most employees are easy to please. It doesn’t take much to make them happy and it's not always money that incentivizes them. Create a culture that employees will tell their friends about and pretty soon you'll attract the greatest talent, increase your productivity, and retention numbers will soar.
  3. Know your differentiators
    Every business owner and employee should know their differentiators and be able to articulate it upon request. Ask your employees if they can tell you why your company is better than your competitors. If they don't know, or if they all tell you a different answer, then schedule a meeting with all employees to make sure they understand why you are different. This is extremely important in a company's success. When a potential client asks why should I choose you?  You need to confidently tell them why you are different. Maybe this is a unique product, years of experience, certifications, best customer service, safety, or your business travels to the customer. Know why you are different and lead your advertisements with these points.  Be proud of it. Showcase it on your website and other marketing material. You will increase your customer base before you know it.

Questions or comments?  Let us know below! We would love to hear from you.
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    Author

    Desirae Haluk is passionate about marketing for startups and small businesses. For the last 15 years she has held marketing executive positions for organizations both large and small. She realizes that her true passion is helping establish, grow and evolve startups and small businesses to make them successful and help achieve their goals.

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