Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in marketing services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kolleen Shallcross, Founder of Shallcross Marketing & Design, located in East Meadow, NY, USA.

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

Shallcross Marketing is about offering SMEs the benefits of quality marketing work without the million-dollar price tag.

Tell us about yourself

My agency has been running for 43 years. Yes, sometimes it only brought in a few bucks a month because I worked full-time elsewhere, but the agency never closed. I started off in Commercial Art and continued as that career changed over the years to Digital Marketing. I am motivated by a continuing love of learning and being better than last year.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My best accomplishment is the wonderful feedback and love I get from my clients over the years. In over 4 decades, I've had only 2 unsatisfied clients.

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

I think hiring freelancers has been the hardest part of owning this type of business. The work can come in fits and starts, so having extra help is great. I work myself for other agencies as a "teamlancer." Over the years, I have cultivated wonderful relationships with agency owners and freelancers but have still feel prey to unscrupulous people. Just recently, I hired someone who was pretty active in the area I needed them (in FB groups). He went into the site, copied every paid library I had in there, and never delivered the work. His was not in the same country, so my insurance did not cover the loss.

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

The first thing someone needs is an undying passion. Not a mindset of "I want to make money," but a thought theology that if they don't create, build, etc., this project, they do not feel whole.

Next, they need to do their due diligence regarding the type of business they are opening. Just because your cousin said they use XX company as a supplier, that doesn't make that the best choice for you. You will need to learn enough about every aspect of your endeavor to ensure you're hiring the right vendors.

The last is that nobody can do it for you. I can't tell you how many people I "fired" and refused to take their money because I knew I could not help them. If they are not invested in their project and just want to hand it off to someone else to do some marketing, the business will not survive. This circles back to passion and is closely related.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://shallcrossmarketing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shallcrossmarketing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mskolleen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mskolleen

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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