Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Duenwald, Founder of The Swing Shift, located in Seattle, WA, USA.

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

The Swing Shift is about empowering women to take control of their career transition, including those who have taken a career pause or looking to make a career change. We provide them with the tools and resources to play the modern job search game.

Tell us about yourself

After having my second child, I realized quickly that my consulting career in tech that I had worked so hard for wasn't providing the needed fulfillment and impact I was yearning for. I took a year off and, by chance, met my now business partner. We dug into the data a bit more and realized, even pre-COVID, that 46% of women take a career pause, and an even higher percentage were unhappy in their careers. There was a need to create tools and resources specifically for this demographic. Also, at the same time, calling out these statistics, researching the systemic issues, and advocating for change at the corporate level. While making progress, COVID actually accelerated progress by bringing to light the competing demands at home, health issues, or job market instability that women face.

The women we work with are smart, tenacious, and incredibly talented yet still struggle to get back to work after a career pause. We work every day to make sure they have the tools to take back control of their career.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

When we first started this business, our hope was that we would reach about a hundred women a year via our programming and services. Through good old-fashioned hard work, tenacity, and smart networking, our reach had grown to double digits year over year. By year three, we secured a book and eLearning publishing deal with a top business book publisher, HarperCollins Leadership. This provided the opportunity to turn one of our most popular programs into a guidebook for women getting back to work after a career break, aptly titled- Back to Business. Being able to get this information in a more accessible and affordable format is one of our biggest accomplishments to date.

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

It can feel isolating and overwhelming at times. I was lucky enough to have a business partner, but even then, while you're sharing a lot of the burden, you still have to make hard decisions and learn new things every day. It can feel draining but also creates opportunities by forcing yourself out of your comfort zone.

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

You've most likely heard these tips before, but I can attest that relying on these time and time again helped me tremendously each day:

  1. Just Start. Each day I had to learn something new, and sometimes just starting can feel overwhelming. I found that once I started, it was usually easier than I anticipated to gain momentum.
  2. Prioritize. You will never get everything done, ever. Be mindful of your company's core values and prioritize the actions that lead back to those.
  3. Outsource. Unless you're a CPA or an Attorney, then outsource any work that falls into this area. You can spend hours figuring out the bookkeeping, finding/filling out forms, researching laws, and still not getting the answers you need. Not to mention there's usually very little room for error when dealing with your taxes or legal needs. It's better to leave it to the experts.

Where can people find you and your business?

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

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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