limited edition print from Kennedy Prints

It’s a bit presumptuous, I know, for anyone to say, “hey, here’s a step by step on how you should run your business”… whenever I’m asked for advice on running a company or interviewed about how I got everything started, well, it’s kind of blur. There’s not one single book or person or project that sealed the deal and made me feel confident that I’m running things the “right” way… even today – after over 3 years of doing what I’ve been doing – things are still constantly changing and growing, and I’m always learning new things about the work I’m doing, about who I am as a self-employed designer (and now, as a boss) – and that’s the way it should be.

The reading recommendations that I posted about previously are just the tip of the iceberg that is how I got everything up and running to where it is now. You, as an individual, will, undoubtedly, have your own unique experience in getting to where you feel is success for your business. There will be things that other business owners will suggest to you that will seem absolutely ridiculous; things that you would never do, while still others will say something to you about their own experiences that will click within your mind as something that feels very right to you. Both of those things are extremely valuable to growing and learning, and becoming the business owners that you should be.

The most defining experiences in my business life – and the ones that have brought the most growth – are negative ones… working for a company that considered neither the feelings of its employees nor its customers; being involved in situations where someone felt that being rude was the way to getting what they wanted; seeing how dissatisfied those that “work for money” are over those who “do what they love”… Absorb all that is around you. Take advantage of others’ help. Get involved. Promote yourself… even when you’re walking around in the grocery store, have business cards & a sample of your work on you at all times. You, honestly, never now when an opportunity will strike. And, as Lisa said in her interview, the thing she loves most is “the fact that (they) are no longer working on someone else’s dream”. When you work for yourself, you’re no longer counting on another person to decide the path of your career… you’re it.

Ask for help :: If you’re not savvy to the “business” side of things (i.e. taxes, payroll, insurance, writing a business plan, etc.), definitely ask around for some help. Books are great – but real life experiences and advice from other (more experienced) business owners is key. The advice Richelle gave in her interview about taking accounting classes (and her creative math!) is no joke… Without my accountant and my (inevitably life-long) hatred of dealing with money, I seriously doubt that OrangeBeautiful would exist at all. I’ve found that it’s best to focus your own attention in on what your product or service is (read: the reason you started your business in the first place) and hire – or borrow, if at all possible – the services of those who are good at the things you aren’t.

promo books from the Chartreuse’s Open House (more on that event here).

Promote yourself :: First impressions are huge… in small business, this can be anything from the whole ‘talking up your work at the grocery store’ thing, to having a good-looking & memorable business card, to the invaluable good website… in this day an age, not having a strong website (or, god forbid, not having one at all) could potentially be career suicide. The amazingly broad reach of the web opens up opportunities that you will be unable to find anywhere else… and, it seems, blogs are fast-approaching the basic ‘portfolio’ site, or ’services available’ site, in their ability to promote and help businesses. The launch of my blog, the SCOOP, has been nothing but great for the promotion of my work, of my persona as a business owner & my credibility as someone who likes good design, and creates a little of it herself, as well. And with both the blog & the standard website, making your company accessible to pretty much everyone at pretty much anytime is a form of indefinite advertising that you just can’t pass up.

Get out there and meet people :: I’m not kidding about the grocery store thing… I’ve actually gotten 2 clients from talking to people in line at the grocery and at a retail store. If you’re nice, friendly, personable – and eager to talk about yourself and your work, people will be drawn to you. If you’re passionate about what you do, well, that’s enticing to people and it makes them more likely to work with you over some schmo that maybe wasn’t as happy to help them.

shot from the latest in Philadelphia (image c/o Oh, Joy!).

And more than the accidental networking, attending events is key… nowadays there is a tremendous amount of business groups & organizations, specifically focused on the small business owner (and many are specialized to specific industries: i.e. crafts, women-run business, marketing, etc.) – For those of you in the Chicago-area, there’s actually a d*s biz ladies meetup tonight at Jayson Home & Garden at 1885 N. Clybourn… from 7-9pm. I so wish I could attend, but I have a bit of an event of my own on Friday that I have to prepare for (more on that later!) -

There’s SO much more to talk about… taxes, licensing, insurance, etc. We’ll just have an additional post later for that! Also, check back for another business-owner interview!…