Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Camille Tuason Mata, Owner of The ECOPlanning Institute, located in Sunderland, MA, USA.

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

The ECOPlanning Institute is an urban, regional, and community planning consultancy that focuses on sustainable planning projects and those that address social inequalities. This latter concept runs the gamut of accessible transportation, affordable housing, and local development that fosters small-scale entrepreneurs. Some of the projects in which I would be effective would be, for instance, addressing poverty through slum improvement, expanding and enhancing food security, and increasing stocks of affordable housing using a variety of investment plans and public financing sources.

I am also capable of undertaking urban planning research that applies targeted data to an analysis of an urban question. Because my consultancy is a sole proprietor, I must collaborate with other urban planning businesses through a B2B arrangement and with public planning departments that seek a qualified planner with my niche qualifications. Therefore, my clients would be city, town, and county governments, as well as non-profit organizations doing work in my niche areas and other urban planning businesses.

Tell us about yourself

I chose the urban planning profession because I saw it as the pathway towards doing grunt, boots-on-the-ground tasks and engaging in meaningful poverty alleviation that met basic needs. However, I never dreamed of becoming a business owner. In fact, I didn't think I had the faculties to do it. The comment from one of my classmates from my DURP (Department of Urban and Regional Planning) days at the University of Hawai'i, someone who had worked with World Bank consultants in his homeland of (British) Samoa, got me thinking about doing so. He told me that he thought I would be a good urban planning consultant because of my cross-cultural skills and my sensitivity to the needs of third-world cultures. This flattered me because I wasn't truly certain then how well I had developed my mind as a planner.

As time passed and disappointments made their way into my psyche, I thought again about what he suggested. I decided that if I worked for myself, I could vie for contracts that were dear to my heart and fulfilled my aspirations of analyzing and strategizing solutions to urban planning problems in the countries of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and improving the quality of life there. Making a name for oneself has been a difficult journey, but the thing that keeps me going is the possibility of engaging in one of my dream projects. To this end, I keep writing proposals and sending them to various organizations and local governments.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been to put myself out there to advertise my services to the world. I have always been a little shy and not one to boast about my accomplishments, so talking about my achievements through Linkedin.com and my business website was a huge step forward for me. Unfortunately, I have had to shut down this site since I opened it in 2010 because it wasn't attracting the clientele that I had hoped it would. The Linkedin.com profile proved to be self-reinforcing, though, as other professionals both within and outside of my network have complimented me on the "impressiveness" of my background. So, in this regard, I am convinced that I have the capabilities to perform in my chosen industry. This has been a boon for me and has kept me motivated to continue vying for contracts.

Another big accomplishment from having started my consultancy has been learning about the regulations and administrative procedures involved in obtaining a contract. Understanding the elements of a contract proposal, which I never had to do before starting my consultancy, has been a huge learning curve for me. Just to be able to respond to the depth of the responsibilities involved in urban planning projects, and appreciate the earnestness of such projects, makes me feel very grown up and very professional.

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

Because my professional and scholarly training in urban and regional planning, international development, and environmental studies tends to confuse those who might be potential clients, I have had to explain how my training overlap and allow me to work in my niche interests. As such, marketing my business through catchphrases or a business logo that "says it all," so to speak, has been difficult. I still don't think I have it right, so I now use my professional profile (Linkedin.com) for advertising my capacities. My profile highlights my work achievements more effectively. These examples are reflective of the work I have done and can do. Even if I am selected to do slum improvement or food security work for the rest of my living days, I would be extremely happy.

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

First, I want to talk about the amount of money associated with start-ups. Consultancies are very convenient to start because they don't necessarily require large financial investments upfront. Consultancies can start up on little seed money - as little as $1,000 - by using remarkably simple strategies. Working from a space in one's home. Communicating with potential clients can be done virtually and reduces the expenses that would normally go towards the hotel room and the flight for meetings.

Marketing yourself through a web server that charges a small monthly fee, such as Weebly or GoDaddy, also goes a long way toward saving money. My business began with little start-up funds; therefore, I don't have a large debt, to begin with.

Secondly, I wish to highlight the importance of marketing one's services. This challenge, if not overcome, can either make or break the number of potential clients that navigate your website. Marketing language, in terms of how the services of the business are explained, is essential to quickly help potential clients visualize what your consultancy aims to accomplish and is vital to generating interest in your services.

Finally, I want to point out the length of time it can take to obtain a dream contract. This can take longer than five years, forcing you to take on smaller, less exciting contracts in the meantime. I'm still attempting to get mine. Therefore, tenacity and resilience are key to staying motivated if you want to be in it for the long haul. So, the top three tips are:

  1. Keep it cheap - use low-budget strategies if you are starting up in case your business doesn't grow at the pace you hoped.
  2. Be very strategic and pointed about the marketing language for your businesses.
  3. Be resilient by taking on other meaningful projects that allow your mind to remain engaged in your business during the low periods. For now, the only urban planning project I am doing is writing my second academic book on the theme of community planning.

Where can people find you and your business?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camille.tuasonmata
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CamilleTMata
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilletuasonmata/

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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