Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christopher Jewell, Co-Owner of Luminate Denver, located in Denver, CO, USA.

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

Luminate Denver is a cutting-edge website design and development firm. We're proud to serve clients all across the nation, but we focus our efforts on building businesses in our Colorado communities. We offer custom e-Commerce builds, JavaScript integrations, detailed analytics and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and a variety of graphic design services. We're in the business of building business, and nothing makes us happier than sharing our unique skillsets with the world and improving the lives of our clients and their customers.

Tell us about yourself

Innovation is what drives our motivation at Luminate Denver. We never build two sites the same, and with each new development project, we push ourselves to integrate new functions and design systems that are unique and innovative. We're experts in our field, but we know that we're only as good as our last project. We never stop learning, improving, and sharing new ideas with our clients.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

There is something particularly empowering about creating something from nothing and being able to use that skill and effort to make a healthy living. I feel so grateful for being able to partner with like-minded people that share the same values and work ethic, and it's such an exciting line of work we're in that every day has something new and fun. Our biggest accomplishment is the next one, and we're always excited to keep pushing boundaries and empowering businesses to do the same.

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

It took me about 3-4 months after I had opened my first business to understand the difficulty of managing so many different tasks at once. Not only does entrepreneurship require the actual execution of services you provide, but you'll spend about 75% of your time working on "un-billable" projects. Besides making websites, someone has to set up the mailing and banking, manage client relationships, clean the floors, buy the coffee maker, organize the accounting and budgeting —the list goes on.

The biggest difference between owning a business and being employed is that owners have 15 different hats they have to wear on any given day. That being said, you learn so much about so many different things that it's absolutely worth the struggle for the final results. Don't let this shy anyone away from starting a business - it's likely the best and worst part of the job.

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

  1. Start Today - There is always an excuse, a reason, a problem
    there's always something that keeps us from taking the first step toward our goals. Big goals, like starting a company, are no different from small goals, like going to the gym. I'm absolutely guilty of this myself, but I've learned that the hardest part of any task is starting. Taking one small step towards a goal can be a catalyst for your life that you would've never expected.
  2. Be A Risk Taker - Failing is the best thing in the world for entrepreneurs. There is no instruction manual, and no playbook can tell you what moves to make for yourself and your business. As entrepreneurs, we must become extremely comfortable with making decisions, even when we know they might be the wrong ones. The sooner you make a mistake, the sooner you correct it. Might as well take risks as soon and as often as possible; all you're doing is saving yourself time.
  3. Trust The Process - There were days I wanted to quit, so many days I didn't think our company would actually succeed. I started thinking about applying for jobs for financial security purposes and actually sent out a couple of resumés. I spent probably 4-5 hours sending out applications one day and thought to myself... what if I spent this time working on the growth of the business instead of being afraid it would fail? How many new clients could I have gotten in the time that I was applying for jobs that I didn't really want to have? Within the next week, I picked up three new clients, and we were rolling as much as ever. The moral of the story is that things don't always happen exactly when you want them to. But if we trust the process and work our asses off, the results will always follow.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.luminatedenver.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luminatedenver
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris.jamesj/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-james-jewell/

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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