Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jenn Schilling, Founder of Schilling Data Studio, located in Denver, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Schilling Data Studio is a data visualization training and consulting agency. My business helps analysts and aspiring analysts grow their data visualization, analysis, and R skills so they can effectively communicate data and insights.
Tell us about yourself
I love analyzing data, visualizing data, and coding in R! I've been working with data and learning how to create impactful data visualizations for over ten years. I also have teaching experience - I earned a certificate in secondary education and taught middle schoolers and then graduate students. Plus, I've run professional development workshops and trainings.
In my business, I'm taking everything I know about data analysis and visualization, R, telling stories with data, and effective teaching, and turning it into easy-to-follow courses that will guide my clients through the process of creating their own insightful data visualizations. I started Schilling Data Studio because I love to teach! Each day I'm motivated by my clients and potential clients who want to learn more about how to create graphs that clearly communicate their data or how to use R to analyze, process, and visualize data.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is seeing my clients grow and make progress! It's the absolute best thing to hear feedback like "I realized that I can code and coding is not terrifying at all," "Even things I had previously known about R became clearer with your teaching style," and "I was accurately and effectively able to tell the story of the data! It helped us make decisions, and my supervisor was very impressed with the results."
My whole goal is to help people see that they can code in R and communicate with data, so when I hear from clients and find out that I'm succeeding in that goal, it feels amazing!
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being a business owner is getting started and being consistent. I have to manage my effort and energy - if I try to do too much at once, then I burn out, and it's hard to get going again. Rest and downtime have become important parts of running my business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Just get started - It can be as simple as sending out an email to people you know announcing your business and inviting them to work with you. You don't need a fancy website or marketing funnel to get started.
- Let go of perfectionism - You don't have to figure it all out at once or make it perfect before you begin. Put products out there and learn from their mistakes.
- Build an audience - One of the first steps to growing a business is having an audience of potential customers. Pick your favorite social media platform and start posting content. Then start an email list.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.schillingdatastudio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schillingdata/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/datavizjenn
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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