Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Emily Allen, Founder of Emily Allen, LLC., located in Appleton, WI, USA.

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

I am a service-based company that provides operational consulting and advising to small-medium-sized businesses. But what does that mean? Let me explain.

What makes a business great is only sometimes prominent. Often, the things you don’t see happening inside a company are the real reasons for its success–or failure. For business owners, the operational systems and processes can be the differentiating factor influencing its growth, but it’s often overlooked and neglected.

So together, we focus on incorporating solid processes, systems, and strategies into their business, all while creating more space in their life. LESS stress, MORE progress.

Tell us about yourself

I never thought in a million years that I could be an entrepreneur - much less a successful entrepreneur. That was for "other" people. It wasn’t until l began questioning my life -- ‘what am I doing and ‘where am I going that I started working with a life coach. During our work together, she helped me explore what it could look like to leave the corporate world and pursue my passion. So, the short of it is that I owe my "big leap" to her!

My favorite part is taking what I have learned and experienced in the corporate world and bringing the best of that to those I work with. It’s more about what I might classify as the "little things" that have the most significant impact on the business owner I am working with.

This could be as simple as creating a prioritized list, mapping a process, redesigning their calendar, discussing their company culture, or just listening. Knowing that I can bring some relief to their life and business is so rewarding!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment comes in a series of little actions, from consulting through one-on-one sessions and seeing the clarity and confidence it brings to business owners or creating playbooks. Hence, businesses have one location for their team to know how the company should run without them. It knows that I have made a difference in their lives and interactions.

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

The most challenging part about being an entrepreneur is that you wear all the hats (until you reach a certain point where you can and want to bring on additional support) and that you cannot do everything at 100% all the time.

As an A-type personality, this is a hard one for me. I want to do everything and then do everything well. But, to move forward and make progress, I quickly learned that “done is better than perfect.” With so many moving pieces and so much to learn and do, it’s practically impossible to get everything done, much less get it perfect every time.

I am still a work in progress in this area. However, I want to focus on achieving the 80% and handling the 20% later, so I still have the time and energy to give to my family and friends.

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

YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR WAY
You probably started your business with a solopreneur’s mindset. More than likely, your goal was to spend as little money as possible so you could begin to pay yourself and re-invest back into your business.

Many late nights were spent Googling “how to start an email list” or “how to pay business taxes.” While you might have figured it all out on your own, those were nights you could have been innovating ways to grab more of your market or adding a new product line or service to your offering before your competitor.

Our time is finite. We all have the same 24 hours a day to work with. When you spend that time on tasks that don’t move the needle, you’re forcing your business to remain stagnant. We trick ourselves into thinking we’re saving money by doing it ourselves, but that is a lie. What we’re doing is treading water.

LEAN ON OTHERS
You are not the same person you were when you first got the idea to start your business. You need more people to help execute your big, bold vision as you grow. At first, that might mean hiring a virtual assistant for a few hours a week. But soon, you should be bringing on more talented people who can take your vision and run with it.

If this scares you, remember that you will never achieve the dramatic success you truly deserve if you don’t take some calculated risks. Your growth will taper off quickly if you’re not leaning on other experts to do what you either don’t know how or don’t have time to do. You need to be focused on the vision. You need others around you to execute it.

Can I get real for a moment? If you want to scale, if you want more revenue, to be more visible, and to be more successful, you need to get out of your way. If you feel lost in your business or have been stuck in one spot for too long, it’s time to hire a coach to guide you and get you past your roadblocks. Why can’t your business succeed beyond your wildest dreams? You deserve to have that happen to you, and it can, but you have to stop trying to do everything yourself.

SLOW DOWN TO SPEED UP
Speeding up isn’t always the answer. Frequently, as business owners, we think we need to hustle and hurry up -- faster, better, and more. When in reality, we can all use a little bit of slowing down. Now I don’t mean slow down and take it easy sipping drinks on the beach -- don’t get me wrong, that would be nice. I suggest that you cannot always continue at lightning speed and not expect it won’t catch up with you.

As you continue to grow and scale, being able to slow down in some moments for deeper dialogue and understanding of your challenges and priorities will help you speed up elsewhere.

Taking the time to strategize and the plan allows for more clarity and confidence. Clarity on where you’re going, what you’re doing, who you’re serving, who you need to hire, and how to interact with your team. The confidence you’re doing exemplary work, assurance that you’re steering the ship in the right direction, and confidence to do bigger and bolder things. Stop chasing the shiny objects and focus on the revenue-generating work in YOUR business!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://emilyallen.co/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilysprangers.allen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyann.allen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyann-allen/

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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