Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in advertising services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Garmon Hummel, Founder of Sauce Agency, located in Memphis, TN, USA.

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

At Sauce Agency, we understand that B2B businesses want to grow and scale smarter. In order to do that, you need an experienced guide with a proven process to help you reach your Growth Goals. That's where we come in. Since 2014, Sauce has been helping businesses organize, optimize, align, and transform their people, processes, and systems to build, grow and scale. Our core offerings include Stores that Sell, Systems that Scale, Websites that Work, Branding that Beckons, Experiences that Endear, and Training that Transforms. We're here to help B2B businesses stop guessing & stressing and, instead, #GrowSmarter with Sauce!

Tell us about yourself

I first started in this business as a creative. Small businesses would invest in my services for things like photography, videography, website design and development, and the occasional graphic design. The problem was these businesses were taking a piecemeal to these things and never really taking the time to invest in strategy. I could see this meant they were leaving money on the table, all the while thinking they were saving money by doing it this way. I knew there had to be a better way, so I started learning everything I could to figure out what that was. Today, our growing team of experts at Sauce Agency has developed a proven process to achieve results every time. With this foundation laid, my motivation each day is knowing the work I do is helping my employees grow as we collectively help our clients grow. I might be a little obsessed with helping others grow, but it's a very rewarding daily purpose!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is, hands-down, being fortunate enough to have a dedicated team that has allowed me to work alongside them as we grew the business to the point that it's not dependent on any one person to be successful.

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

I think the answer to this is different at every stage of business. At first, it was letting go, to delegate and elevate those on my team. Then, it was stepping across yet another line of fear to take the risks necessary to scale. Now, I have to say it's being patient as we implement the next phase of the plan. I'm sure once that is behind me, there will be new challenges to conquer. One thing I've always found hard at every stage is terminating an employee that is no longer a good fit for the organization. I don't like giving up on people, especially when I can see their potential, but sometimes the best thing for the business and that person is to release them to find something that allows them to become what it is you see in them.

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

  1. Starting a business? Read Building A StoryBrand by Donald Miller, then visit www.sauceagency.com to schedule a connect call so we can help you craft a Story that Sells and a Brand that Beckons!
  2. Running a business? Read Traction by Gino Wickman and start putting processes in place to prep for growing and scaling.
  3. Growing a business? Eliminate "frakensystems" (aka - different tech that is cobbled together poorly via APIs or manual export + sorting/merging data). This creates blind spots in the data you need to inform decisions about your business. So, if you are ready to grow, invest in a system that provides you with a single source of truth so that you can make data-driven decisions.
  4. Sauce helps B2B businesses with all of the above!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://sauceagency.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SauceAgency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sauce-agency/

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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