Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dave Alsobrooks, Founder of Bound, located in Durham, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Bound is a brand strategy consultancy that builds connections from truths. I work relationally to connect people and organizations around what truly matters to them. Most of my clients are smaller businesses or entrepreneurs and start-ups, but my work increasingly crosses industries and applications—from research and strategy to branding and design applications. When more complex or intricate concepts require distillation or explanation, I provide value mostly through listening and designing tools, frameworks, and visualizations.
When we connect, Bound becomes the work we do together. Bound is Us:
- Crafting visual and strategic brands of all shapes and sizes
- Helping all types of communities realize greater prosperity and clarity
- Connecting through collaborative art experiences and visual content
Tell us about yourself
For the past twenty years, I've worked in corporate settings and communities as a market researcher, brand strategist, marketer, and designer. And for my whole life, I've been an artist. Sometimes it takes an artist to lend a voice to the truth, no matter the job at hand. As a human, I occasionally burn toast, make typos, and forgo most social outings. Even so, I relish my connection to the wider world and the people around me. Every experience is an opportunity to grow.
The intersections of humanity and strategic thought and art and enterprise are at the center of my work. All of it is truly the product of my cumulative professional and life experiences. What motivates me is being in the middle of art and enterprise every day in everything I do—and the trust clients put in me to help them to tell their stories in new and interesting ways.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
This is the second time I've started a business and the first time I'm a solopreneur. Having been in and around my current field for over twenty years, starting a new business now and building it selectively around the types of projects and work I want to do is allowing me to build a new and healthier lifestyle as well—mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm really happy I took a second swing.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
It would be easy for me to say working on the business, not just working in the business. All of the tasks of being a business owner outside of the actual work are truly hard to manage at times. But honestly, I'd say staying true to the bigger picture, sticking to the goals I have for building the company according to my principles, and not taking easy projects that might fetch a fee but are not fulfilling or in line with my long-term vision.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't be afraid to build your company your way—there's no model! Sure there are best practices, and every one of them is what worked for someone else. Ultimately whatever you do has to work for you.
- Don't be afraid to bet on yourself. People will pay for your point of view—and yours is as valid as anyone else's. Own what you're good at and be OK with positioning yourself as an expert.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help—if there's an area where you're not an expert, ask a friend or get a referral. Most everyone wants to help, and they're also flattered when asked to do so.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://boundis.us/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boundis.us/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundhelps/
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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