Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melissa MacDonald, Founder of Sweet Spot Marketing, located in Charlottetown, PE, Canada.

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

We are a husband and wife Etsy coaching team. As such, we help Etsy shop owners earn a full-time income from their shops without having to put in full-time hours.

Tell us about yourself

With a new baby in 2008, I wanted desperately to be able to earn a full-time income from home and not have to go back to the typical 9-5 out-of-the-home job. I opened my first Etsy shop selling custom jewelry in 2008 and have had several very successful Etsy shops since. As my shops grew and saw success, many other Etsy shop owners started asking for help with their shops. My husband comes from a business broker background, and in 2015 we combined forces and now focus 100% on helping other Etsy shop owners reach their income goals.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Helping other Etsy shops reach and exceed their income goals is the best feeling ever! Being able to coach people as a husband and wife coaching team together is really a dream come true family work scenario for us.

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

As parents of three, we know that the balance between work and family life is a constant struggle. We're always tweaking our schedules to ensure we're able to find the right balance for ourselves and our kids.

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

  1. Hire a mentor or a coach in your specific niche. They'll help you navigate the pitfalls and challenges of starting a new business, saving you time, money, and stress in the process.
    We've found that working with mentors and coaches has been invaluable to our own business structure and growth. The only regret we have is that we didn't do this sooner!
  2. It's a good idea to have a system in place for growth before you need it—you don't want to be scrambling when your business takes off.
    You can't always predict when your company will take off, but you can plan for it! It's best to have systems and strategies in place before you need them so that when you do need them, they'll be ready to go.
  3. One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is thinking they must do it all in order for it to be done right. Be sure you are outsourcing to people that are actually better than you in a certain task, grow a team of experts in each of these areas, and watch your business flourish. Some examples in this area could be social media, email marketing, copyrighting, email management, and so on.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

First off: have a solid, proven blueprint to follow. This was key for me when I first started my business; it gave me a place to start and made me feel like I wasn't just winging it every step of the way. It also gave me more confidence because I knew that even if something went wrong (and it did), at least I would have had a plan in place beforehand that could help me recover quickly.

Next: avoid being sucked into busy work and instead focus your energy on tasks that will actually move the needle forward in your business. This might seem obvious at first glance—but trust me when I tell you that it's easy to get caught up in things that don't really matter when running your own business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sweetspotmarketing.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetspothelp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetspothelp/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-macdonaldetsycoach/

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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