Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dennis Moseley-Williams, Founder of DMW Strategic Consulting, located in Ottawa, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We work with financial advisors who want to create more customer value by innovating around customer experience and design. Our clients are successful advisors who know that selling excellent investments and advice is not enough to guarantee their success; they are shifting from being advisors selling commoditized investments and advice to advocates who are guiding their clients to better personal outcomes.
Tell us about yourself
Like most people, what got me started was a fluke, but what I learned the moment I was introduced to the business was that 'financial planning' had very little to do with finances and much more to do with psychology. As we all know, 'money' is a very stressful and emotional issue for a lot of people. I was instantly fascinated by how non-human the business was. All anyone was talking about, and this is still very true, were spreadsheets and numbers and this idea of 'enough.' Enough isn't a number; it's a story.
I realized right away that people were desperate to talk about purpose, meaning, and fulfillment, especially those people who were financially independent. They didn't want a little more; they didn't want to pay a little less. They wanted to achieve their personal aspirations and contribute to something bigger than themselves. I found that very motivating, and I still do. I love to help advisors understand their true value, which is much greater than they think.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I've been running my own show for 25 years, and I still enjoy it. Along the way, the work itself became the reward. Obviously, I charge for my work; I'm not doing it for my health, but what I get paid stopped being interesting to me a long time ago, although for most people, what I get paid is the most interesting part. The impact and the consequence I have on people are everything.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Creating time that is just for you. Managing your energy. Embracing structure. This is a rather obvious point, but it amazes me how people have to be right in the thick of it before they truly grasp the significance of this fact - You don't just do the work; you run the company. If I had a job, I'd just do the work, go home, recharge, and leave the heavy lifting to someone else. When you own your own business, you have to do everything else too, and that is frankly too hard for most people. You can't run a professional business like an amateur.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Do your work for people who care and for nobody else. Don't make average stuff; average is ignored and sells for as cheap as possible. Stay as small as possible. When you do your work for people who care, this is easy and what you'll find is that they will bring other people who care to your party. Be as generous as possible. Do more than anyone would consider reasonable. Do these three things, and you'll become a business people buy into and not from.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.seriousshift.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennismw1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/moseleywilliams
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-moseley-williams/
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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