Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Guisela Farge, co-founder of Stun and Awe, located in Berlin, Germany.

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

We founded Stun and Awe in 2017 and pivoted a few times to get to where we are today. We are a growth marketing and product design company that aims to transform businesses into designers of positive change. Our content helps founders, growth marketing, and product teams build better systems for sustainable growth. Specifically, we offer data-driven marketing tactics, growth training, workshops, UX design, product development, and a human-centered approach to customer acquisition. And we are having a blast. We just launched a Growth Marketing online course that teaches how to win, onboard, and retain more customers using a structured and data-driven growth and experimentation process.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a civil and environmental engineer, but I have always had a very strong entrepreneurial drive in me. Having lived in Peru, China, Canada, and Germany, I had the chance to discover many approaches to doing business. I tried many ideas over the years and had some success with eCommerce. When I moved to Berlin a few years ago, I really got into the tech and startup scene. Having my own business was always a dream. I saw it as a way to build something bigger than myself, help people, and express my creativity and ideas.

There are a few things that drive me to work on the business every day.

  • Creativity: turning ideas into actions, campaigns, and products.
  • Teamwork: I love the exchange of ideas, expertise, and energy. We have a distributed team who's doing a fantastic job.
  • Technology: there is so much innovation happening right now. I'm always looking for ways to integrate new solutions into our work and products.
  • Impact: I want the work that I do at Stun and Awe to have a positive impact on our team, customers, and the environment.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I am really proud of where we are at Stun and Awe. We have doubled our revenues over the past two years and have built a strong team who should reach ten amazing people soon. Most importantly, I work on meaningful products and projects.

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

Entrepreneurship is a real rollercoaster! When things get tough, it is sometimes difficult to step back and put things into perspective. There are days when you wake up, and three problems pop up. An issue with a product, an unhappy client, or sales slowing down. It may feel like the sky is falling. You start questioning yourself, and negative thoughts can quickly pile up if you don't stop them. But the highs would not be as rewarding if building a business was easy.

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

  1. Validate your idea before investing too much time in your project. There are so many methods and tactics to do this. Don't waste your time and energy on something that won't fly. We teach that at Stun and Awe.
  2. Prioritize. There are so many ways to lose focus when you run a business. As James Clear wrote, "in the long run, prioritization beats efficiency." So you need to set up 2-3 priorities for the quarters, months, and days and never lose sight of them.
  3. Always look ahead. There will always be new competitors, products, and technologies. You cannot stay still in business. Instead of fighting change, take that as an opportunity to make you and your business better.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.stunandawe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stunandawe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stunandawe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stunandawe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stunandawe/

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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