Lessons and Love: 4 Years of Running my Startup
What I’ve learned, What I’ve loved, and What I would do differently.
It’s January of 2014. I have just unexpectedly lost my job in a new city. I am 27 years old, newly engaged, and have just committed to a 30-year mortgage. It was a stressful time.
After two months of putting out resumes for jobs that I knew I didn’t want, making calls, and — actually — being pretty desperate, I had a come to jesus talk with my now-wife. In tears, I blurted out (almost yelled) “I want to start my own company!” After calming down a little, “Are you okay with possibly being the sole bread winner for a little while?” This was a tough question, she had just started a new job in Denver as well and we certainly weren’t rolling in the dough.
I say all of this because I want you to know that starting a company isn’t always glamorous — sometimes it rises out of desperation, and knowing that you simply can’t do anything else. I think those are the best stories, however. You have no option but to succeed.
In March of 2014, I sat down with an old laptop, a pen, a pad, and a cup of coffee. I scribbled down names that I thought would evoke the mission of my new company. Wait, what was the mission?
We’re startup incubators. Everything you need to start your company, or grow your company, we can do and we can do it better than anyone else.
There, that’s easy enough, right?
I graduated college in 2009 — in the heart of the great recession. My first year out of college, I took a “job” with AmeriCorps. I was the sole contact for a local literacy council in Mississippi where I spearheaded an adult literacy program (i.e I taught adults how to read), and I partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library helping underprivileged children access books monthly, for free. I made $700/month. It was grueling, but I made a difference and had purpose. (There’s even a CNN interview out there somewhere if you dig deep enough).
After my year of service, I took some odd-jobs here and there in the service industry, mostly managerial. In that time, I lost all purpose. Serving people beer and wings is a lot different than changing someone’s life by teaching them to read when they’re in their 50's.
Then, in 2011, I was hired by Enterprise Rent-a-Car. As tough as this job was physically, (think washing cars in a suit when it’s 102 degrees outside), Enterprise, in my almost three year tenure with them, taught me everything I needed to know about running a business. It was the best decision I ever made.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to work for ERAC, reading this book is a good starting point in understanding what makes their business so successful, and how your business can be successful too by implementing some pretty simple techniques.
Enterprise catapulted my career. Because of their reputation, I was able to jump on with an awesome startup in Denver, an organic soda company, where I spearheaded their sales and marketing department.
Here I was at my dining room table, scratching my head for company names, and asking my then-fiance for her permission to start my own company. She had faith in me, but we weren’t really in the position, financially, to take on the risk. I think she saw the desperation in my eyes, and agreed.
Soul Graphics was officially born in March of 2014. I harnessed all of my experience, and all of my lessons learned and created the best company I could. Here we are 4 years later with consistent work, doing what we love, and making a difference. I can now say “we” because we’ve expanded and have been able to bring on team members.
So, what would I do differently if I could do it all over again?
What I’ve learned.
Use your pain points as a learning experiences. In the early days of Soul Graphics, I didn’t have any clients. I was simply churning to churn and hoping that someone would notice my work and want to hire me. It was taxing on my confidence, and there were a few months in the early days where I thought I had just made the stupidest decision of my life. What had I done? Not only would I have to return to the work force with my tail between my legs, I would have a gap in my resume (gasp!). But, after four months of going client-less, someone finally hired me!
Looking back now, what would I have done differently in those early months? I would have been more persistent, I would have networked more. Make business cards, sell yourself, and sell your experience. I had the knowledge, I had the experience, I had the expertise, I just needed to believe in myself. Confidence is key in any business, especially when you’re an entrepreneur. I am the best at what I do — I know that now, I should have known that then.
Additionally, the benefit you have as a start up is flexibility. Be flexible in those early days, learn from your mistakes, and learn from others’ mistakes. Be unique. It’ll pay off in the long run.
What I’ve Loved.
Starting your own business isn’t for the faint of heart — anyone will tell you that. I have just now gotten to the point where I’m comfortable taking the weekends off. Think about that, 4 years of Saturdays and Sundays. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, don’t start your own business.
When people ask me what makes Soul Graphics different, I say: 1. Our Team, and 2. Our Experience. You will never meet another design firm that has the Sales, Marketing, Management, and Analytical experience that we bring to the table. We are your one-stop shop for everything you need. We’re start up incubators, and a growth-producing machine.
What I’ve loved most about these past 4 years is getting to work with other thinkers and industry leaders across the nation and witnessing their excitement when we help them reach their goals. We get to take the brightest ideas and turn them into reality.
What I would have Done Differently.
Know your worth. In the beginning, I was basically giving my work away. I just wanted to build my portfolio — which isn’t bad — but when people get wind of you doing great work for “cheap”, it’s hard to grow. The best way I can advise is to learn the market in your area and always be competitive. Affordable is a much different concept than Cheap.
It’s okay to be affordable, but you never want to be cheap.
Also, know what you bring to the table that no one else does. Web Designers are a dime a dozen. Web Designers that also expertly grasp Marketing, Growth, Sales, Management and Google Analytics are few and far between. That’s where we come in.
What’s your expertise? Find It. Master It. Become it.
Thanks for all the support these last 4 years, here’s to 40 more.
Did you like this post? Show us some love, and follow along for more like it.
