Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tetiana Furmanchuk, founder of Digital Presence Lab, LLC, located in Denver, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Digital Presence Lab offers Content Strategy and content marketing services. We help small business owners refine their content marketing efforts to connect with their audiences and accomplish their goals (leads and revenue).

Tell us about yourself

I am an immigrant from Ukraine. For a while, I was trying to recreate myself in a new country where nobody knew me. Being a 21-year-old, I barely knew myself at that point. I held jobs ranging from housekeeping to managing a retail store. I marketed timeshares (until I realized what they were!). I learned a lot. Most people don't hear my accent anymore, and it's all because I threw myself out there and wasn't afraid to "suck." Finally, in 2019, after working in retail for five years, I decided to make a complete career change and dove into digital marketing. Unfortunately, I didn't have an education or background in marketing (besides the timeshares!), so I researched courses and certifications online and created my own curriculum. After two months of educating myself and working on unpaid projects to build my portfolio, I finally landed a contract position with an agency. And the rest is history.

I started out as a generalist, trying to find what area I would like to focus on. I did account management, content marketing, podcast production, personal branding, YouTube channel management, and so on. While working with clients, I also took on my passion projects. One of them was the release of a Digital Career Change ebook I co-authored with my friend and career coach Natalie Arch (it was targeting service industry workers in helping them to change careers into digital marketing). The other project was a YouTube channel called Pro Zarobitok (where I educated Ukrainians on how they can make money online). Both were semi-profitable (we monetized the channel in 8 months!) and gave me hands-on experience in many marketing concepts.

Over time, I saw the most long-term return on investment for small businesses in content marketing. So that's what I decided to focus on. Seeing the results of my work is what motivates me, and the great thing about digital marketing is that we have analytics to track that. I also love the connection we can build with my client's customers. Seeing what they derive from our content marketing efforts is inspiring.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

This might sound surprising, but my biggest accomplishment was realizing and accepting the fact that I didn't want to be a digital marketing agency owner. I wanted to be a solopreneur. Sure, I work with other professionals who are great at what they do on a contract basis. I love collaborating with and engaging professionals who are great at what they do. But I also want my business to be sustainable for me. So, my success is that I work 25 hours a week, enjoy my work and make what I was making as a Store Manager working 50 hours a week. That leaves me time for my passion projects and mental health. And this is truly my version of success.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I think, as entrepreneurs, we are great at problem-solving. So, when we see an opportunity, we want to jump on it and offer that service or that product. But one of the hardest things as a business owner is saying "no" to some opportunities, even if they seem very lucrative. It's not about pivoting or innovating in your business. Those are great, but it's about seeing other opportunities and being like, "but what if I did that instead." In my view, staying in your lane and staying focused on your goals and what you want to accomplish is key to success in business. It also applies to digital marketing. The Shiny Object Syndrome is real. We can only do so much with the time we have, so it's all about prioritization and the "why" behind what you do.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be an expert at something. I am a multipotentialite, and it's hard for me to settle on doing one thing. But I realize that even if I have many interests, people will only hire me if I am an expert at the problem they are trying to solve.
  2. Don't run after the next shiny object. Focus on what lifestyle you want to create for yourself. What would you want to do in the next ten years? What is sustainable? And create that. Nowadays, you can be anything you truly can (I mean, a Ukrainian immigrant is a Content Marketing Strategist in the US, for God's sake!)
  3. Spend time exploring and learning. With how fast technology is moving, we have to learn constantly to stay current. Stay ahead of the game by learning from research and experts, not blogs that have been rewritten over and over again. Follow and connect with thought leaders. And most importantly, realize that people who own businesses are just like you. I thought back in 2019 that they were some geniuses. Nope. They trusted themselves and said, "I may not know everything, but I will figure it out as I go." And taking that first step.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://digitalpresencelab.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tania.furmanchuck
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tetiana-furmanchuk/

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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