Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jyll Saskin Gales, Founder of Jyll.ca, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a marketing consultant, coach, and trainer, and I make marketing simple for entrepreneurs. My core specialty is Google Ads (I used to work at Google), but I also advise on organic growth, content marketing, website optimization, and other core marketing topics. My customers are either business owners who need to upskill quickly to supercharge their growth or marketers looking to improve their skills and advance their careers.
Tell us about yourself
Although entrepreneurship runs in my blood - I'm a fourth-generation entrepreneur! - I never thought I'd be a marketing entrepreneur. I left a cushy career at Google to join a startup, and unfortunately, that opportunity didn't work out. I needed to figure out a way to make money, so I turned to what I knew best: Google Ads. I started sharing my knowledge on TikTok and was fortunate to gain a following very quickly. Clients and opportunities followed, and I've been riding that wave for over a year and a half now. My business and my goals have evolved in that time; now, I'm really focused on investing my time and energy in teaching, advising, consulting, and building scalable systems, like my online course platform Learn with Jyll.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment was hitting 6 figures within my first 6 months of business. Although I hate this word, I hustled. I said yes to every opportunity; I aggressively pursued opportunities... Once I hit that milestone, I felt like I had "proven myself" and the viability of my business. From then on, I started saying "no" much more often and began more intentionally crafting my service offerings, my ideal client profiles, etc. For example, I no longer offer campaign management services.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest parts of being a business owner is accountability. If I don't get something done or I forget something, there's no one to blame or to pick up the pieces by myself. It's a very different pace, and it can get very overwhelming very quickly. Thankfully, I'm good at creating and maintaining systems and processes to keep things on track. And hiring a virtual assistant has also been a very worthwhile investment!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start a business by focusing on your audience first and their needs, not on your product. Build a solution around a real need, and sales will come much more easily.
- Starting a business is easy; growing a business is hard. "Build, and they will come" does not apply. Put some thought into how you're going to market your business and drive growth!
- Always be looking for opportunities to automate, systemize, and build a process. Especially as a solopreneur, the limiting factor in your growth will be your time. There's only one of you! My growth accelerated once I started automating my content repurposing with repurpose.io, and it accelerated again once I started working with a VA to help manage my tasks & my inbox. Time is money!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://jyll.ca/pages/google-ads-coach
Facebook: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_google_pro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_google_pro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jyllsaskingales
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyllsaskingales/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_google_pro
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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