Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley DeLuca, Founder of Teach Me Email, located in Defiance, OH, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm an email marketing strategist who helps entrepreneurs use conversational email marketing to connect with and convert their subscribers into buyers. I've been doing this since 2016 when I first opened my business as a web design company turned email marketing company.
Tell us about yourself
I first started my business at a coffee shop with my best friend, CC. We were talking about big life goals, and she encouraged me to open my own business to make it happen. I was in the corporate grind and felt so stuck in my current position. I took the business plan that I created in college and brought it to life.
I eventually got stuck doing all the things -- I was writing, emailing, web designing -- all of it, and one conversation with a friend helped me shift just into email fully. What really motivated me to start and continue my business is my little dude. It is my toddler, who I didn't have back then, but I created this for him and for us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is being able to use my business as a way of leaving my abusive marriage and using it to support my vision of being a stay-at-home mom with my little dude. (Read more about that full story here.)
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Feeling like you're doing it all wrong -- the boundaries -- gosh. I have been working through some major people-pleasing, and with that, there is so much that I've had to work through to help set myself up for success.
It's easy to always want to be available -- taking on tech glitches as personal gabs -- but in reality, things happen. I feel like working on not taking things personally is the biggest and hardest thing to do when you truly care about your work.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Keep it super simple. One focus, one product, and one audience.
- Start a YouTube channel—no matter how messy it is—and you'll be glad you did.
- Just keep writing, creating, and doing your thing—always fuel your passion.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://teachmeemail.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleykdeluca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleykdeluca/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleykdeluca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-deluca/
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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