Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jamie Ruden, Founder of Be Spotted, located in New York City, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Be Spotted helps pet businesses attract their ideal customers resulting in more sales and long-term success.
Tell us about yourself
I have always been a dog person. There are so many new companies, brands, and service providers offering better products and services for pet parents. Utilizing my marketing skills to help these businesses best communicate what they do and how it improves the lives of the pet or pet parent makes me smile, knowing I'm making a difference in helping them reach their dream client or customer. When you are attracting your dream clients and offering services or products that bring both you and the client joy - your life unfolds in ways you didn't know were possible.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Since pivoting from my previous business, I really took the time to listen to my new clients to best understand what they wanted to accomplish with their business (instead of assuming what I thought they needed). When building a business, it's vital to understand a pain point that your customer will be willing to pay to solve. Not just an obvious one that YOU think needs to be fixed. My biggest accomplishment was signing my first big client, validating that my past business learning was worth all the hard work to build my second business.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Imposter syndrome. I've had it, and so many entrepreneurs I've spoken to have suffered from it. Experiencing imposter syndrome shows you care about your business and your immense desire to provide real value to your customers. To overcome this feeling, I advise writing down your wins, compliments, and moments of success. That way, when you're feeling low, you can refer back to your previous wins to keep motivating you on your entrepreneurial journey.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Talk to your ideal client. Reach out to past customers you liked, understand why they chose you, where they found value, what they liked about working with you, etc.
- Understand and be clear about your offering before making a logo, website, etc. If you do the 'pretty' stuff first before understanding what makes you different and what your clients need - you'll have to do the visual branding all over again. (A.K.A spend more time and money!)
- You don't need to get everything done right now. Take each day at a time, and make sure to carve time out for your mental health.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://be-spotted.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/be.spotted/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-ruden/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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