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Doing the Dream
By: Michelle Gamble-Risley
BE Your Own Boss
As you know from my last column, I recently made the
leap into starting my own company. As I went to bed the
night before I started working for myself, the first
thing that went through my mind was I didn't have to get
up at 5:30 a.m. - something I had done for more than 20
years. I realized I am my own boss. . . Yes, I am my own
boss. Oh my goodness! What did that mean? It meant
applying a generous heap of self-discipline.
If you're considering starting your own business, don't
go along with the mindset that it will be a protracted
vacation. People who think being the boss means starting
work at 11:00 a.m., lunching from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30
a.m., and ending at 4:00 p.m. won't find much success.
And don't let your friends and family chime in with
jealous comments about your supposed vacation either.
Plenty of your working class buddies will look at you
with envy and automatically assume your new workday
consists of eating BBQ chips in front of the television
and watching Dr. Phil or Oprah. Don't feel bad about
correcting them and you should correct them with the
truth. You have self-discipline, and the attraction to
sit idle in front of the television doesn't appeal to
you.
So what does this really mean: Don't try and start your
own business if you are, in fact, attracted to the idea
of doing nothing. The truth is it's really, really easy
to sit and watch Days of Our Lives. It's easy to feel
tired and take a nap especially if your bed is less
than two feet away from your desk. It's easy to get up
and wander around the house playing with your
two-year-old and her Little People. Are you now
wondering if I've done these things? No, but it would be
really fun to do them.
Starting your own business means in the beginning making
less money (maybe even losing money) and spending more
time than ever before working at it. My husband has
worked for himself for years and I can't tell you how
many evenings he has rushed off to service calls or how
many weekends he has spent without his family at some
strange office site. While his employees go home
promptly at 5:00 p.m. he often comes in around 8:00 p.m.
In the beginning, not only will you produce the product
or perform the service, you will also keep the pipeline
full with potential new business, maintain your own
books, and do your own billing. You won't have the
luxury of juniors to help you out. You will need to be
organized and effective at everything you do.
SET CLEAR BOUNDARIES
First, if you have a home-based business, set clear
boundaries. When you're working; you're not playing;
you're not picking up dry cleaning for your spouse at
Dry Cleaning Today; you're not making hair appointments
at Amici's; and you're not going to the Galleria to
shop. And most importantly, make sure your family
understands those boundaries. If you start work at 8:00
a.m. and get off at 4:00 p.m., then that's your
schedule. Tell your family that is when you're working.
If your husband wants you to do his errand at Home
Depot, tell him you'll do it after work. If your baby
cries and demands Mommy, ask your babysitter to comfort
the baby, you're working (well, I have to admit I've
comforted my daughter a few times).
Make sure you tell your clients your regular work hours
because there is nothing worse than a client who calls
in your off-hours, and you can't service them because
you're holding the crying baby who demands her oatmeal
while your client demands his article. Or my favorite
the East Coast client who calls at 6:00 a.m., and you
answer the phone in a hoarse, sleepy voice, and your
client feels embarrassed to wake you.
THINK BIG, THINK PROFESSIONALLY
Make sure you always look professional in everything you
do. Create a first-rate marketing campaign by using
professional services. I beg of you, don't try and slap
together a clip-art flyer and paste it in e-mail. If you
think small, you look small and worse, unprofessional.
If you write your own copy, spell check is not your
savior (repeat that phrase out loud three times). Have a
fresh set of eyes proofread your materials. Believe me,
someone out there will notice your missing comma or the
wrong use of a common word like "premier" versus
"premiere" (they mean different things). Better yet,
forget trying to do it yourself. Hire a professional
writer or an agency. Freelance writers charge between
$40 and $75 for proofing services. It might cost you a
$100 or so, but it's worth it not to look bad in the
eyes of your prospective clients.
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL MARKETING FIRM
If you have a larger budget, I encourage you to hire a
professional marketing and public relations firm.
Keeping your pipeline full will be the key to your
ongoing success, and first-rate marketing materials help
sell your company and services. Professional marketers
understand what goes into your branding and positioning
campaign. In order to establish basic materials logos,
brochures, business cards, postcards, you can expect to
pay between $3,000 and $5,000 if you don't hire a big
agency. Smaller marketing consultants don't have the
same overhead expenses and salaries as the big agencies.
When I write brochures I charge $50 and hour for 30 to
40 hours. This includes brainstorming with the client,
suggestions for positioning and branding, and writing up
to two drafts of the brochure.
CREATE A WEB SITE
These days Web sites play a very important role in
marketing your company. Many people go to the Web to
check your legitimacy and stability as well as to
preview your company's services and products. Again,
thinking small and looking small make you look
insignificant, and that's damaging in a media where
people have come to expect a pulled-together image. One
advantage of creating your logo and brochure first means
you can cross-pollinate your Web site for a small fee to
create Web content. You can get good web design by
checking other local businesses' web sites, by checking
advertisements, and by asking contacts for references.
Ask to see a designer's portfolio and references, and
remember it's your business, not the designer's artwork
that needs to be noticed!
WRITE AN INTRODUCTORY LETTER
If you have no budget at all for marketing then at least
make sure you write a solid letter of introduction on
quality letterhead. Once you start getting out and
networking (we'll discuss networking in the next
column), you should always follow up a conversation with
an e-mail or standard letter. You just want to remind
folks about who you are and reinforce with them the
message that you are the professional who can provide
them what they need. Oh yes, don't forget to include
your business card in your letter!
That is all for this month (Dr. Phil starts in 15
minutes . . . where are my chips?). Stay tuned for the
next column where I'll talk about getting that first
client and paycheck.
Writer Information
Written by
Michelle Gamble-Risley
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