Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in branding and marketing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Zach Belland, President of The Crow Creative, located in St. Albert, AB, Canada.

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

The Crow Creative is a recognized marketing consultancy that provides companies with a roadmap to implement strategic marketing initiatives, driving a heightened customer experience across every customer interaction.

Not only do we work on marketing initiatives that engage customers, establish audiences, and increase sales, but we quickly become trusted and reliable partners our clients can count on.

Today, the skills required to market a business are vast and varied. Many businesses turn to Crow to fill in the gaps or even take the reins. In fact, evidence suggests that businesses are spending roughly three times as much on outsourced marketing today than they were two years ago.

Tell us about yourself

I always knew I was an entrepreneur deep down. From being a little kid cutting grass and finding ways to make money to be an employee finding ways to improve businesses and reduce customer pain points, I always knew it was just a matter of time before the right opportunity presented itself.

Each day, I am motivated by two things. First, I'm motivated to offer clients a truly beneficial list of services that will help them grow their businesses and be more successful. I have no interest in selling products or services for pure profit. I want to ensure anything I offer truly has a positive or beneficial impact on each client. Second, I'm motivated to design the life that I want to live. For me, that means being in control of my schedule, having the flexibility to take advantage of nice weather and travel opportunities, being there for friends/family, and truly enjoying my work day-to-day.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

When I think of my biggest accomplishments, I think of 3 things:

  1. Starting. A lot of people talk the talk; few will actually walk away from comfortable, high-paying jobs with benefits, predictability, and security. Just starting can be one of the biggest accomplishments. It was for me.
  2. Partnering and working alongside incredible people. Relationships can last a lifetime and offer value in times you never expected. I'm more grateful for these relationships than any awards, successes, or other accolades.
  3. Surviving the pandemic. Less than one year into quitting my job and starting Crow, COVID-19 hit and made me pivot and have to think very creatively. Surviving and thriving through the pandemic has given me the confidence that we can survive anything with creative solutions and relationships built on trust and transparency.

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

The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is taking full accountability and ownership of all outcomes. Being a business owner means taking full ownership of all aspects of your business, including both successes and failures (which there are many of each). In the 'employee' world, it's easy to blame others, pass the buck off, forward emails, blame a poor culture, and say you have a bad boss... it's easy to find excuses for almost any scenario. When you own your own company, there are zero excuses; everything is a reflection on you - Your work ethic, partnerships, relationships, results, clients, growth, and more! Build a reputation you're proud of!

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

The top 3 tips I'd give to someone looking to start, run, and grow a business today are:

  1. Learn first by working for others. Be an employee at as many places as you can to learn how each business is run, how they acquire clients, where they could be doing better, how you could improve things if you were running the business etc. then, when you go out on your own, you have real-world experience, giving you confidence that you can offer products or services while reducing pain points.
  2. Ask for help. We live in a world where people look at asking for help as a weakness. But the funny thing is, as soon as you ask for help, you quickly realize how willing people are to give you a hand in any way that they can; you just have to build up the courage to ask.
  3. Stay organized. A big day-to-day difference between being an employee vs. a business owner is the number of responsibilities that fall on your shoulders. From the actual work/product/service you offer to bookkeeping, taxes, branding, website, social media, client communication, quotes/proposals, shipping, annual planning, leading people, and more…there are a lot of things happening all at once. Staying organized will ensure you're always on top of everything!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://thecrowcreative.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crowmktg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbelland/

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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