Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in advertising services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Christopher Smith and Dave Kroencke, Founders of Plot Twist Creativity, located in Dallas, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a boutique (translation: small) advertising agency serving a wide breadth of clients from many industries, including grocery, jewelry, beverages, healthcare, and publishing.
Tell us about yourself
Opportunity knocked for us when a large client had to cut ties with our former agency and asked if we could continue to work together by starting an agency, so we jumped at the chance. Our motivation comes from seeing our people doing great work that works and trying to keep our team as happy as our clients.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We are very proud of (and grateful for) the team that came with us and formed the nucleus of the agency and the great new people we've added since. Learning how to handle a lot of the administrative work we took for granted at our previous employer, such as HR, IT, etc., was like drinking from a firehose, but we found the right people to help us. And our partnership as co-heads of the agency is a great match, which we learn more and more as we make shared decisions about the business.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to take care of our team. Are they happy? Fulfilled? Well compensated? Is the workload manageable? But our confidence in them also motivates us to build the business, try to be the best bosses we can, and mostly stay out of the way.
Also, there's the question about growth: Should we grow or be happy at our size? And if we do grow, how much and how quickly? Growth doesn't always mean things will be better. But we keep getting more and more assignments so that that question may answer itself.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be honest with yourself (and your team) about what you know and don't know. Get outside help in the areas you don't know.
- If you have one or more partners, try to have complementary strengths and skills, not redundant ones.
- Be present and contribute. Your people will notice and respond. We're not big fans of absentee owners.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.plottwist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlotTwistCreativity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plottwistcreativity/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/weareplottwist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plot-twist-creativity/
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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