Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rachel Thaw, Founder of RMT Contracting, located in New York, NY, USA.

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

My business is different every day, and my customers (or clients/partners) are different almost as often. After spending years as a "founding employee" at a few high-growth companies, I learned that (a) having someone to work with, delegate to, and bounce ideas off of was important for founders and (b) I am a great "jill-of-all-trades" type that loves solving problems and working closely with a small group to bring an idea to fruition. I was a great fit for start-ups.

But I wasn't ready to commit to yet another pre-launch company because new companies are intense, emotional, and needy as heck... also I wasn't 24 anymore, I was a married 30-something that was starting to think about the nearish long term. The problem was I didn't feel particularly suited for any other kind of work. Luckily, one day my old boss asked if I'd like to do a bit of work for another founder friend of hers who was building a new company.

A few more referrals later, I was "RMT Contracting," and I guess the rest is history. I've helped launch or re-launch another four companies, set up distribution/customer service operations for another three, and advised on strategy spanning performance marketing, brand identity, and product development for a dozen more.

Tell us about yourself

I got started mostly out of necessity! I was feeling a bit listless (both de-energized and literally without a to-do list for the first time ever!), but no opportunities I saw on the job market or heard about through the grapevine were inspiring me. At first, I took a few contracts just for the heck of it, but it started to feel natural to take on more.

I'm motivated by "normal" life things way more now than I used to be, like earning money for my household, in support of the lifestyle my husband and I have and what we aspire to. I'm motivated by a balance of stability and change, enough stability so I'm not too afraid to change what isn't working or even to try doing something I've done a hundred times in a new way.

I'm also really motivated by a great boss/partner/client. That makes or breaks for me when it comes to working. I think of myself as a leader of sorts, but I prefer someone dreaming up a target for me to work towards reaching.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Every new client or contract feels like a huge accomplishment. I don't know why, but I have a little part of me that always thinks, "this is the last one, you'll never get a new client after this," and while it's never been true, it always could be this time. My father definitely has this mindset, so I guess that's where it comes from, but I also wonder if it's something about being a millennial that remembers when really smart people couldn't get jobs because no one was hiring. So I guess, since I don't have some huge exciting accomplishment to point to, I'm going to say that getting the new contract is always a meaningful accomplishment for me, as it's slightly quieting the voice that immediately says that it's my last.

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

Other than always worrying if this client will be my last, I think the most difficult thing is just having to literally do it all (at least in my case). My business is just me. I'm a glorified freelancer that happens to work across a few disciplines. Sometimes I'm sick or tired or have to be at an appointment, and no one else picks up the slack. When you're your own boss, no one is riding you, and you can enjoy flexibility, but also...no one is coming to help you either. I'm not great at delegating, but there are times I wish I had someone to delegate to. I also sometimes wish I had a work friend. I have a lot of clients that have become friends and who I have a rapport with, but it's not quite the same.

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

I feel almost silly answering because I feel far from being an expert, but since I'm allergic to not completing an assignment:

  1. Find a confidant that you can share all of your work with, ask advice of, and send email drafts to, to practice your pitch decks on. Ideally, you are also close enough for them to know about your life because the added context is always valuable, even if you're just talking about work.
  2. Don't be afraid to pivot or even move on! Of the companies I poured my heart into (full-time employed or embedded for longer contracts), four were 'meh'; one is still spectacular and growing every month and year, and one I'm winding down. It was really hard to admit that I couldn't rebuild and that I needed more than the barest of minimums to move forward because I didn't know what would come next. Moving on is always so hard, but it is always harder the longer you wait to do it.
  3. You can't take it with you. My father calls money (paychecks, A/P, whatever) "fun tickets." You don't spend your whole summer doing chores just to get to the fair on the last day it's open with a stack of fun tickets so high you can't possibly use them all. So, it's better to work enough to earn the fun tickets you'll use, a few extra in case something new and exciting pops up, and a few extra to give to someone else. You won't have to spend as much time with the chores, and you'll still enjoy the fair just as much. Having tons of fun tickets left when the fair closes is just called schlepping, and it sucks before, during, and after.

Where can people find you and your business?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachel.thaw.90
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachel10thaw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelthawesome
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-thaw-21958046/

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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