Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tim Peter, President and Founder of Tim Peter & Associates, located in Orlando, FL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Your customers carry the internet in their pockets. They expect your business to meet them where and when they are, just as Google, Airbnb, Amazon, Uber, and other Big Tech leaders do. We help our clients use digital to find, attract, convert, and retain customers and employees — and to accomplish those goals more cost-effectively. We mostly work with companies in hospitality, travel and tourism, financial services, and technology, but we have also helped clients in media, publishing, telecom, and professional services, as well as many others, from SMBs to large enterprises.
Tell us about yourself
I love that I get to do this for a living. I got started when I realized how many of my prior company's customers needed more help with strategy, execution, and digital transformation than what existed in the marketplace. Let's be clear, the pace of change can be difficult for many companies to keep up with. It's tough to know what to do... or at least what to do first. I love that we get so many opportunities to learn and grow and get to share those learnings with our clients.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I'm most proud of the business results we've produced for our clients. One client told me after we'd worked together for a while that we'd "saved her business." Which isn't true. They had a good product, a great team, and immense care for their customers. All we did was help them focus their efforts on their best customers and their best products. We shined a light on what they did well while helping them identify and improve what wasn't working. We helped them figure out where change was needed. They did the hard part; they changed. It's seeing those changes take root and deliver results for our clients every day that makes me most proud.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
There are always more things you can do than there are hours in the day or resources to do them. We always work to focus relentlessly on using our time to help our clients grow their businesses. Anything that distracts from that isn't a good use of time and, ultimately, will be bad for our business too. So, it's about articulating a clear vision for the team and our clients, then sticking with it despite all the many ways the world tries to disrupt that focus.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Identify your ideal customer. Knowing who you serve is the single most important thing you can do now... and always.
- Identify why you choose to serve that customer. What is it about what you do that motivates you? To use a cliche, business is a marathon, not a sprint. You want to spend your precious, limited time working on something that will motivate you for the long term.
- Surround yourself with kind, trustworthy, smart, hard-working people who share your concern for the customer and your "why." You're going to spend as much as half your waking life with these people. You're going to trust them with your — and your customers' — financial well-being and reputation. Even if you're a "solopreneur," surround yourself with a team of advisors who lift you up every day — and support your customers and your "why."
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.timpeter.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcpeter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tim-peter-and-associates-llc/
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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