Repairing Broken Products for Startups

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with amélie lamont, Founder of User Space Craft, located in Columbus, OH, USA.

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

User Space Craft is an advising consultancy that helps software-based startups audit and repair their broken products.

Tell us about yourself

I'm a nerd. I've been working with technology since I was a kid—learning how to build websites with NeoPets and GeoCities (r.i.p. to Anime Turnpike). Those touchpoints of creativity blossomed into a web design business and a career in product design and user experience. I'm motivated to do what I do because I get to work on exciting problems with kind people willing to push beyond the Silicon Valley ethos of "move fast and break things" while considering the impact their product will have on culture and people from all walks of life.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest business owner accomplishment must be my recent rebrand. Language is powerful—I feel far more confident with my new business name and visual branding than before I changed. What's more is that the confidence spills over into my interactions, and it's infectious, so it's a win all around.

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

Planning. A lot of people think that being an entrepreneur is problematic because it seems as if nothing is guaranteed. But it's a myth that your job is guaranteed—nothing is. Planning is crucial to navigating what can feel like the feast-and-famine cycle of being an entrepreneur. Planning around business development, marketing, and working with clients.

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

Set boundaries. You'll lose your self of sense if you can't set the boundaries that both you and your clients need to survive.
Create processes. If you find yourself doing the same action three times, it's time to implement a system so that you can better use your time and save your sanity.
Take breaks. When working for yourself, it's easy to forget to take breaks. A day might pass, and you realize you didn't have lunch. While that might have worked at your job, you can't build a sustainable business without sustaining your basic needs. Take breaks and take care of yourself.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.userspacecraft.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alamont/

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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