Meg Mothershed Of Mothershed Design Co On 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Service-Based Business
An Interview With Jake Frankel
Empathy. The golden rule: treat others the way you would want to be treated. What you probably learned when you were a child is still true as an adult, and even more relevant for running a business!
As a part of my series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Successful Service Business”,I had the pleasure of interviewing Meg Mothershed.
As a branding expert and Co-owner of Mothershed Design Co., Meg Mothershed knows firsthand how to run a successful project and wow customers through the process. For the past eight years, Meg has helped service-based businesses from diverse industries present themselves professionally, communicate their offerings, and expand their brands. Together with her husband, Josiah, they use their unique talents and skills to help small businesses succeed by building brands and websites that stand out, attract the right customers, and drive growth.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
After years spent working as a graphic designer for agencies and in-house teams, Josiah was feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. Having been involved in every step of the design process, he knew what it took to run a project from start to finish and felt he could do it better. So, in 2016 he struck out on my own and formed Mothershed Design Co. shortly after we got married.
At the time Josiah started the studio, I was working as an in-house graphic designer at a nonprofit. While it was a great job as a recent graduate, it left me craving more. Having always wanted to own my own business since I was six years old, joining Josiah at MDCo. was a no-brainer! I quit my job and joined him in the business full time in 2016 and we’ve never looked back.
What was the “Aha Moment” that led you to think of the idea for your current company? Can you share that story with us?
Honestly, I was tired of working so hard to build someone else’s dream. It became increasingly important to me to start building something for myself and my family that would be fulfilling both personally and professionally. After my husband, Josiah started Mothershed Design Co., the decision to join him came easily!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
When Josiah and I first started working together, we were used to working pretty independently and didn’t always communicate about what we were working on. This sometimes led us to be working on the same thing at the same time! Talk about a waste of time and energy.
We quickly learned the importance of clear communication and began to define our roles within the business. I focus on running the operations of the business, managing projects, and handling strategy and copywriting for clients, while Josiah (our creative genius), does all the heavy lifting on design and web development. Together, we make a great team!
Thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main focus of our interview. Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven business” are more successful in many areas. When you started your company what was your vision, your purpose?
Founded in 2016, Mothershed Design Co. isn’t your typical design studio. We’re not a big agency and we’re not flaky freelancers. We’re the best of both worlds: we’ve got the multi-faceted skills of an agency and the flexibility of freelancers, without the expensive overhead or unreliability. Our vision is simple: to help small businesses reach their full potential.
What do you do to articulate or demonstrate your company’s values to your employees and to your customers?
There’s a great analogy I like to use when speaking with potential clients. Regardless of what industry you’re in, imagine your business as a storefront. What does it look like? Is it clean, modern, and stylish, or messy, dingy, and outdated? What is the signage like? Is it easy to read and understand what the store is selling? Or, is the sign hard to read or decipher what’s inside?
What kind of customers are you attracting?
If the way you’re presenting your business to the world doesn’t match the quality of your products or services, it’s time for a change! That’s where the power of branding comes into play. By ensuring you represent your business the right way, you can stand out from the crowd, attract the right customers, and drive growth!
Do you have a “number one principle” that guides you through the ups and downs of running a business?
As unorthodox as it may sound, at the end of the day, it’s still just work. It’s easy to let small hiccups feel like giant problems (especially when you’re a two-person team), but keeping this idea top of mind really helps keep things in perspective. Projects and clients may come and go, but ultimately it’s the love you have for one another that matters most.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
As any small business owner will tell you, running a company has its ups and downs. There have been times when our inbox has sounded a lot like crickets, and other times where we just can’t seem to keep up! While neither is optimal for running a sustainable business, it’s situations like these that build resilience.
A particularly challenging time was when our daughter was first born. With not nearly enough sleep, too much coffee, and plenty of dirty diapers to go around, running a business with a newborn baby was incredibly difficult. While it felt like those days would never end (and the nights felt even longer), we made it through the infant stage and now have an energetic toddler on our hands! It’s been an incredible journey so far and we’re only just beginning the big adventure that is parenthood.
So, how are things going today? How did your values lead to your eventual success?
The ups and downs of this year have been both humbling and more rewarding than we could have imagined. From launching dozens of brands and websites for our clients, dealing with plumbing disasters, to our daughter’s first steps, 2023 has proven to be Mothershed Design Co.’s busiest year yet!
As a hardworking husband-wife team with a busy toddler in tow, it’s become essential for us to intentionally set aside time to close our laptops and spend dedicated time together as a family. This provides us with some much needed R&R so we can show up with more energy, passion, and excitement when serving our clients.
Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a founder or CEO should know in order to create a very successful service based business?
A successful service-based business is laser focused on just that — service! Having exceptional customer service is crucial to building and maintaining a thriving business. But what does customer service truly look like? What can a business do to ensure its customers not only achieve successful outcomes but become raving fans that promote your business for you?
The five keys to achieving success in the service industry are process, communication, transparency, empathy, and boundaries.
Process
As business owners, it’s easy to let standardizing and documenting your processes fall by the wayside. With so much to do and so little time, process documentation can feel like an afterthought. However, ensuring every customer receives a consistent experience is crucial to service business success.
Start by writing down each step of a typical project from start to finish. Then, notice where the gaps are. Where in the process might a customer unheard or their expectations not met? By analyzing the steps from a customer’s perspective, you can discover new opportunities to streamline your process and smooth out any potential pitfalls before they happen.
Communication
It sounds cliche, but it really is true — it’s all about communication! In my years of experience, I’ve found that clear communication (or the lack thereof) is the number one problem in many service-based businesses.
From the copy on your website to email communications with clients, it’s all about what you say and how you say it. Taking the time to craft a clear, concise, and well-written response could be the difference between an angry customer and a calm one.
Don’t forget to pick up the phone (or jump on a Zoom call). What may quickly get lost in translation over email and easily be alleviated by speaking over the phone or in person. You’d be amazed by how much can be solved by speaking directly!
Transparency
No one likes to feel confused, or worse, misled! Ensuring all of your business practices from communications to contracts are transparent is key to great customer service.
Own your successes and failures. If you make a mistake when serving a customer, acknowledge it, apologize, and make it right. A simple “sorry” can go a long way to garnering your customer’s respect. On the flip side, celebrate success! Don’t be afraid to let your customers know the value of the services you provide.
Empathy
The golden rule: treat others the way you would want to be treated. What you probably learned when you were a child is still true as an adult, and even more relevant for running a business!
For some, business isn’t personal. However, for me and many others, it can feel very personal. By running your service-based business built on a foundation of empathy, you can not only maintain your humanity in business, but understand your customers better as well.
Boundaries
It’s easy to let the old adage of “the customer is always right” cloud your thinking. Is a client asking you to hop on calls on your day off, emailing you late at night expecting a response, or otherwise overstepping? Maintaining your boundaries as a service provider is crucial to building a healthy and collaborative working relationship with clients.
By focusing on these essential areas, business owners can build a strong foundation for customer success while creating systems that drive growth!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Absolutely! Mothershed Design Co. would be nothing without the person who started it all, my loving husband and incredible business partner, Josiah Mothershed. We leverage our strengths and weaknesses to accomplish far more together than we ever could alone. Owning a business and being parents isn’t always easy, but there’s no one else I’d want to do life with!
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
As both a parent and a creative business owner, I would encourage others to spend more time outdoors with their children. I find nature to be a tremendous source of inspiration. From birdwatching to the changing of the seasons, spending time outdoors can recharge your creative energy. By experiencing the magic of nature with my daughter, I’m able to see things in a new and wondrous way from her perspective.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can learn more about our story at MothershedDesign.com or follow along with us on Instagram at @mothershed_design.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
