TEN THINGS I WISH I’D KNOWN A YEAR AGO
I can hardly believe it is a year since I started offering copywriting and content management services to what I dreamed would be a stream of new customers in Kingston and beyond.
It has been an extraordinary 12 months. Challenging, stressful and immensely uplifting – often all on the same day.
The first thing I must say is a sincere thanks to everybody who has been supportive, to the ever-growing list of customers who have joined the LeBoo Media bandwagon – and to all who have been kind enough to give five-star feedback and reviews.
The second is to share the pieces of advice I’ll hand a 12-months-younger version of me, just as soon as I get hold of a working time machine.
1/ Don’t hang about. I now realise I moved at a leisurely pace in the first few weeks. I should have been building, launching and polishing my website, LinkedIn profile and all other aspects of my social media presence as swiftly as possible.
2/ Be ready to spend. I wish I’d known how valuable it would be to invest seriously in areas such as my website and my business cards. It took me too long to understand that merely having such materials is not enough; if you aspire to offer an exceptional service, every aspect of your presence, and the impression it makes, should be the very best it can be. And that costs.
3/ Identify what you are selling. It is incredible that I spent months simultaneously advising people to put their audience first, while telling them about the copywriting service I offer. I’ve since refined my elevator pitch to make it clear that what I do for businesses is enhance their ability to get their message across to their customers.
4/ Find customers in a way that suits you. I agree strongly that the key to success is the regular acquisition of customers. But, to quote the great Jed Bartlet, what are the next ten words? There are almost as many ways to attract a clientele as there are businesses. But never lose sight of the necessity to find a method, or a mixture of methods, that brings a steady flow of new clients to your door.
5/ Be patient. It will take time to build a business up from the floor. I’m still in the midst of the process but I am getting there. I know I am moving in the right direction. But I have had to accept it will not happen yesterday, or today. Tomorrow will be soon enough.
6/ Be humble. There will be times when, no matter how brilliant you are at what you do, the customer will not be happy first time. It’s a cobwebbed old cliché, but nevertheless an inescapable fact, that the customer comes first. So listen to what they want and, as quickly and professionally as you can, give it to them.
7/ Ask for help. There’s a romanticised image of the lone businessperson working late into the night in total solitude, pitting themselves alone against all the odds to become a success. In reality, there’s a ton of advice and practical assistance out there – use it. It’s a big part of managing your time and keeping a balance in your life.
8/ Find the right rooms to network in. I’ve written more than once about the value of networking, and how to do it well. In the last year I’ve been to meetings run by BNI, Omni, 4N, BoB, FSB, IoD, FWMM, the Kingston Chamber of Commerce, and more. I’ve come to realise, however, that the room you are in – and the people in it – matter more than the set of initials organising it. You’ll know the rooms that work for you when you find them.
9/ Work on your presentational skills. Since my last blog, I’ve given several more talks and I now really enjoy the challenge and actively seek out opportunities to tell large groups about my business and how it can help them. “Do you do much public speaking?” someone asked when I sat down after the most recent address. When I said no, they said: “Well, you should.” Moments like that leave you ten feet tall for days.
10/ Be resilient. For all the positive mental attitude and the uplifting moments, there will be days when it’s hard to believe in the inevitability of your eventual success. Keep on keeping on. I put up a #MondayMotivation tweet every week; not just to lift my rate of tweeting, but to get the week off to a flying start – it’s startling how that raises the mood.
Please let me know if you have any ideas to add to the list. And, as ever, if I can help with your written content, do get in touch.