Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in professional development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nancy Tuten, founder of Get It Write, located in Columbia, SC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I offer professional development seminars (in-person and online) to help improve the writing skills--and thus the effectiveness and marketability--of a wide variety of professionals, including judges, attorneys, court reporters, bankers, and employees of state and federal agencies.
Tell us about yourself
My business began when a state agency asked me to help improve the writing skills of their employees. For decades, this business was a summer "side-hustle" to my full-time job as a college professor. In 2019 I began devoting efforts full-time to this endeavor. I love empowering people to achieve their goals by strengthening the focus, clarity, organization, and logic of their writing. I am also passionate about helping people understand basic English grammar, mechanics, and usage issues they were never taught in school but are expected to know as professionals. Errors in usage can undermine the effectiveness of a document by calling into question--however unfairly--the competence of the writer. I enjoy empowering writers so they can avoid those kinds of mistakes.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
More than half a million people turn to the Get It Write blog every year for information. Writer's Digest has repeatedly named getitwriteonline.com as one of the top nine online resources for writers. But perhaps my biggest accomplishment is that my clients come back year after year, and I acquire most new clients by word-of-mouth testimonials from current and former clients.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest tasks is keeping up with the technology required to stay relevant. I rely on an expert to keep my website safe from dark-web bad agents and to ensure maximum search engine optimization.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure you are passionate about what you are doing. Running and growing a business is time-consuming and can be frustrating. If there is no joy in the outcome, then the hard work hardly seems worthwhile.
- If you do something well, don't be distracted by the fact that others are also trying to do what you do, and certainly do not lower your fees because others claim to offer the same services at a lower cost. People who value what you do will pay you what you are worth.
- Build a strong team: in particular, identify a web/tech-savvy person you can trust and an ethical accountant who listens.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://getitwriteonline.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getitwriteonline
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/get-it-write-online/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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