“Know your value and success will follow” with Alli Hill

Alli Hill is a writer, speaker, blogger, and influencer in freelancing. The founder and director of FreelanceSpeak and a five-star Fiverr Top Seller, Alli coaches aspiring freelancers and solopreneurs in the art of personal branding, marketing, and solo business operations. Her extensive client portfolio includes Fortune 500 and Inc 5000 companies, SMEs in tech, e-commerce, finance, and marketing, and international boutique brands.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I knew I wanted to be a writer by the time I turned 4 (childhood dreams DO come true!). Throughout school I took initiative to hone my skills: writing for the school paper and yearbook, entering writing competitions (and winning!), doing a one-story internship with the local city newspaper, etc. In college, I fell into some paid event marketing work on a gig basis, working with some popular Fortune 100 brands that needed brand ambassadors for events.

I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, but I never felt like any of the jobs I found in my field suited me. So, I created my own, and I’ve never been happier.

What inspired you to start your business?

Looking back, I feel like freelance writing (and now coaching and influencing) has been in the stars for me all along. I knew I wanted to write, but came to believe I needed to work for someone else first so I could learn, grow, and build credibility. I thought that getting experience through an employer would be a low-risk way to build on my skills. But I am very much a DIY-er. I’ve always carved my own path, taught myself things, and done things my way. I realized that seeking a a traditional, ready-made career with a salary and schedule determined by someone else didn’t allow me to be true to myself. That was my A-ha! moment.

Oddly enough, my last boss approached me one day to enroll me in a content marketing course. That was really the catalyst that showed me new potential for a freelance writing career. Once that ball started rolling, it only picked up speed. Within a few months, I had replaced my full-time income with all my writing side work and decided to hand in my notice.

Where is your business based?

I work from home in Georgia (USA) in a small town nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

Quitting the safely net of my day job was a big leap. Before I felt confident in making that jump, I focused on getting clients. I didn’t have a website or a brand, so to speak, but I did create a few writing samples so I could show clients what I was capable of. I landed a pretty big name for my first assignment, then collected a few more clients from that. I would work on writing after I put in 8-9 hours at my day job, and I did this for several months to see how sustainable it would be.

Some days, I would stay up until midnight or later to balance both jobs (and being a mom to two children under 2 years of age). Eventually I started getting so much work I had to make a choice. It was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Two things have worked wonders for me as a writer: Fiverr and referrals.

In my first couple of years, I was doing a lot of pitching. I had signed up for some weekly newsletters that would share companies looking for freelance writers. But pitching is hard work, and you could send 100 pitches with no work to show for it. I had also taken some low-paying clients as I was ramping up my business just to build some credibility. But I knew my writing was worth more, so I created a Fiverr Seller profile (an online marketplace for freelancers) so I could set my own rates and take more control over my work.

To date, I’ve had more than 2,000 Fiverr orders from clients in 30+ countries. This was also a big win in building up my portfolio of popular brands and clients in a range of industries. It’s helped me land more clients on and off Fiverr, and I’ve gotten tons of referrals from both sides of this coin.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Learning to say no to work was a big challenge, especially in my first few years of business. I was so focused on growing my client base and keeping a full schedule that it was hard to break away and take time off. Even on vacation.

Now, I value my time so much more and am more particular about the projects I take.

How do you stay focused?

Being more ruthless about my time has helped me to not feel so overwhelmed. I take more breaks, I take a walk every morning to clear my head and get some sunshine, and I don’t overload my schedule like I used to.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

In truth, I don’t, at least consciously. When I first started freelancing, especially in a competitive marketplace like Fiverr, I thought I really needed to “sell” my services. But now, I’m just transparent and honest with clients that reach out to me. I tell them what they get and what they can expect from my process. I’m not a hard seller.

If they want to negotiate on price or ask for more than I can give, I simply tell them we might not be a good fit for each other. They either appreciate the honesty and decide to work with me, or they move on.

Know your value, and success will follow.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Reviews, hands down. People trust them. But hiring a great freelancer can be hit or miss. You never know what you’re getting. That’s why I leaned heavily on getting good reviews early in my freelance career. I feel like my reviews on Fiverr sell for me.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Ask for help. Find a mentor, take a course, figure out what you don’t know. Be honest about the skills and knowledge you lack, then take initiative to fill in those gaps. When you make learning an everyday goal, you’ll move lightyears ahead of those who don’t.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I’ve recently jumped on the Wordle trend, where you try to guess a five-letter word in six attempts. It’s my morning brain booster, and naturally I’m a lover of words.

Lunden Souza’s Self-Love and Sweat blog is truly inspiring. She is a fitness and life coach, which has nothing to do with freelancing, but her tips help me make positive changes in my life that carry over to my career.

I grew up a bookworm and I read all kinds of books. One of my favorite books to date is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. The creativity of the story, not to mention the typography in the book, have me hooked for life.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Networking is one of the single most important business “tools” that people don’t advantage of enough. I treat everyone I meet as a potential follower, client, or mentee. You never know who you’re going to inspire, and you never know who is in their network that you might be able to help.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My dad owned a business (and is now retired). I learned so much about the lifestyle and demands of a business owner starting at an early age and knew I wanted the same for myself. He made a comfortable living. He built up a strong referral network and spent very little on marketing. Most importantly, he was always available to take off work to join me on school field trips or events.

I copied a lot of his moves: starting small, not spending money until you need to, not relying on too many employees that will put you in a bind if they quit, being meticulous about expense tracking – all things that have helped me tremendously. I didn’t have to learn some of business’s toughest lessons the hard way because of him.

How do you balance work and life?

Since I work from home, those lines are usually blurred. But I’m a lot better at work/life balance than I was a few years ago. I set boundaries with my clients and with my family. For instance, I don’t reply to business emails on the weekend – If I do it once, then clients start expecting me to do it all the time. And it gives them the invitation to not respect my boundaries because I haven’t respected them.

Same story at home – my kids know that when my hand are flying across the keyboard, they need to hold their questions unless they’re hurt or sick.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

I treasure my four-day work week. It feels so good going to bed on Thursday night knowing I have a three-day weekend ahead of me. It’s refreshing, rejuvenating, and gives me more time to work on my passion projects.

And in the rare event where I just can’t make a four-day work week work, I try to treat myself in other ways, like a longer morning walk or a family adventure on the weekend.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I am currently developing the FreelanceSpeak podcast, where I’ll be sharing my insights on all things freelancing, personal branding, and business growth.

I am also updating FreelanceSpeak.com with a fresh new look and to make space for my new coaching services. With the new website, I will also be bringing over my writing services (currently under a separate brand and website) so that clients can hire me directly and freelance mentees and connect with me all in one place.

How can our readers connect with you?

I’m a huge fan of networking and invite anyone to reach out and connect. You can learn more about me and my journey at FreelanceSpeak.com, which is the home of my blog and other resources for freelancers, and will soon be the home of my writing services, too. Let’s see how we can help each other!

Website: http://www.freelancespeak.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alli-hill/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freelancespeak

"Gain a true understanding of winning that can often be in learning from our mistakes" with Orville "Oh Yeah" Wright

Photo Credit: Sherman Wright

Orville "Oh Yeah" Wright is a seasoned professional in the music industry. He uses his songwriting abilities and talents to serve the public. He provides music to uplift and encourages others on their journey to success. His music is reaching many diverse communities and bringing them together with a common goal of victory for those who desire it. He applies the mindset of a humanitarian through music service and delivery.

What are the interview questions for entrepreneurs?

●     Can you tell our readers about your background?

I am an ASCAP singer, songwriter, and music producer of many different genres. Music has always been a part of my life with dancing, singing, and entertaining. A lot of my family has ties to music including my grandmother who sings and plays the piano. She was the one who taught many of my family to use our talents in music to demonstrate greatness. I am from Colorado Springs, Colorado and listened to a lot of genres including Pop, Jazz, Country, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B.

●     What inspired you to start your business?

What inspired me to start my business was observing first hand how many faults and flaws that the system has when it comes to musicians and content creators conducting business. I began as a music producer (as many others did and still do) that provided music to music libraries for users with subscriptions to use. One redundancy took place when a song was reused heavily to deter other users from wanting to use it. I also discovered that not all libraries are willing to accept new-comers as contributors. The many times being turned down from the libraries gave me enough fuel to become my own source as a sole contributor to a content creator's success. Though many of the outlets were exclusive, I discovered that I did not need them to make a sale. I decided to help a small select few creators with music production. I wanted to give users a different aspect of obtaining music that was more exclusive than a monthly subscription with a set of distribution releases. I learned and wanted to demonstrate how to be INCLUSIVE.

●     Where is your business based?

My business is based in the U.S. but serves across the globe. I started serving a small community of individuals that all collectively discovered are in a much broader community.

●     How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I thought about how I was going to have business and be successful with music so I thought of Madonna. I learned how she built her empire and made history from the ground up. I realized that I could do the same. To start my business, I had to think of a name along with a logo. Being in the music industry, part of the name and logo were easy for me to figure out. I then had to become established and recognized across numerous platforms and am not done doing this as many more are being created today. I also knew about filing with my state department of taxation and assets along with the IRS starting my business. These were two important milestones of considering myself as a business. I came up with an LLC and a DBA (Doing business as). In the music industry, it is also important to be represented in a performance rights organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR. Registering with these organizations is how additional revenue is collected for you as an artist or songwriter/ music producer and a publisher. Royalties are a vital method of receiving payments for music in businesses outside of direct sales.

●     What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

The most effective way for me to raise awareness has been through the promotion of my clients and vice versa. Happy clients return but before they return, they run and tell the town about the experience... good or bad. (Knock on wood) All of the experiences have been great so far and their promotion alone has helped to get my name into other households. Across different industries, the promotion has also left a great impact and influence on others that sparks the curiosity of my business and how to align beside it. One additional aspect impacting many in the content creator space is awareness through exclusive music products and services that music libraries do not truly present to the public. In the last few years, numerous accounts incurred copyright claims and strikes that even include take-down requests of content that features music they "thought" were exclusive. To be part of the solution, I knew that I could present to individuals and their brands a way to have music solely for themselves. My company creates music that clients can be a part of in the beginning process and have true representation for the end-goal they are trying to reach or message that is desired to be portrayed. Many new customers discover that they would like this form of protection and begin requests to my company. Many customers seek the "Oh Yeah" experience from my company thanks to the ecstatic reviews from previous clients.

●     What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, the biggest challenge has been to say "No". I am often given challenges by clients but somehow overcome them with persistence and determination to make them happy with my many works. I am however a perfectionist as many other musicians are so I always think that I can do better. Somehow, the work and effort delivers the best to satisfy the expectation of every customer. I believe that the time has not yet come for me to be able to afford to say no, yet. Though I do feel the time is close, I need to continue obliging everyone the best to my abilities with music services in business. I did learned to say no to my wants but say yes to my needs. This applies when I need some time to sit back and reflect or decompress. Often in the past, I would move from one project to the next without having true moments to relax and that does in fact intensify stress. As a business, we need to learn to say no to somethings, sometimes.

●     How do you stay focused?

This is an anomaly. My focus is a beat and a few metronome clicks away from being lost. What I mean is that I focus on one song at a time. To micromanage myself in the process, I focus on small objectives in composing music. I determine the mood, the tempo, a particular melody, along with instruments that will construct the song. Every project has the same process so I figure the focus deals with consistency. The easier it is for me to remain consistent, the easier it is to focus and attain success.

●     How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

How I differentiate from "competition" is by incorporating collaboration over competition. I do not see myself as having opponents in this industry, though others will disagree with plenty of reasons. I believe in the inclusion and collaboration of others for the success of everyone who is willing to put forth effort. In my past, I focused on opponents but not on my growth or success and this is what presented a "set-back". For a while I compared my position and status with similar individuals in the same industry. I ended up in the same position as I started by chasing behind others. I wasted money (thousands of dollars), energy, and talent, having them channeled in the wrong outlets. Now I can say I am in a different place and have grown. While observing my "competition", I can figure out how to offer inclusion while shining and standing out with my brand that is connecting more personally with each client and new customer. I am sure my competition knows that I am offering everything but capitalism on a plate to everyone and the value just cannot be matched. I think one reason is due to the mission behind the drive not being similar to mine. In fact, it often becomes transparent for many of my competitors that they do not stand with the people nor do they desire to stand for them. As a result, the traffic comes to my business and brand. My business is becoming more of a household name than many competitors but remaining humble and grateful is what seems to keep me soaring above the rest.

●     What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective way for my brand and business to grow has been through theme songs. I never imagined that creating complete music compositions for others to highlight their works would become such a thriving approach. Theme songs alone have driven more traffic to me and now a long list of clients is created because of the desire to have the branded element of "Oh Yeah" on background music and in lyrical delivery. Currently, many of my fans are waiting for the next set of songs to be delivered that will be historical. Aside from this, I have not had much of a marketing strategy. All that I ever desired to give to the public is my brand, myself, and my missions. I believe that the established connections of human-to-human interaction have been the best approach next to theme songs. Everyone is consistently receiving a personal touch of myself and in that more realize that we are "like-minded". With that in mind, the laws of attraction fall into place and my business grows. Essentially as my business grows, the same occurs for my clients.

●     What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

The best advice that I can offer to new entrepreneurs is to line up the levels of success that you desire to achieve. I have not reached the success levels I am currently at by wishing and hoping for opportunities but I have determined where I can get and how I can get here. I have written so many notes about every aspect of business to reach success. This includes names of people and organizations that I can offer value to as can they for me. A true entrepreneur will think like a business person constantly and thoroughly. \

What this can intel is that you should think about the next "set" of moves that you need to take for your business. This is identical to chess and can land you a position and status "on top", learning about how to handle set-backs, face adversity head-on, and find triumph in struggles. We are always going to have ambitions for things to fall in line how we imagine them but life has its own rules in place. Every business person quickly understands how to get ahead of adversity. For every person aspiring to be successful regardless of the business or industry, gain a true understanding of winning that can often be in learning from our mistakes.

●     What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Instagram. Facebook... ahem... Meta has done a good job with this platform, allowing the world of influencers and celebrities to connect with one another. I constantly engage with stories, posts, and comments with others. Many have included me in a lot of group conversations that eventually mold the members into members of a community or family. I do not read blogs but allow me to tell you about books. I am all over with this selection but I can read over-and-over "Monster" from Sanyika Shakur, "Gifted Hands" from Ben Carson, and "Culture Vultures" from Damon Dash. I have learned so much from these books and several others that make me grateful for my journey and the tribulations in it. I have learned how to understand others more and become more open-minded in order to become the best humanitarian of my abilities. I have also learned the best ways to conduct business, with whom to do business with, and when not to do business. I found a lot of similarities in perspectives with the writers and myself. I suggest to each person with business in mind to check them out.

●     What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

My favorite business tool is Zoom. It is a communication platform that is perfect for scheduling business meetings and One-on-One conferences. It is a favorite because it can connect me directly with clients without the need to disclose personal phone numbers. Meetings can be scheduled and also recorded for cross-referencing in the future. Zoom has helped me to continue business practices to further the extent of success for all parties.

●     Who is your business role model? Why?

My business role model is Damon Dash. I have watched his career in the music industry and TV & Film. I have seen his growth and focus on wins that matter despite what headlines may portray. Facing much adversity even with friendships and partnerships that have gone sour, he displays the poise that identifies him and his new team as fighters and survivors in the aftermath. He has built another empire from the ground up with a loving and supporting family. He also offers the most amazing advice for others to pick up when conducting similar business that he is most familiar with. He has also identified the ideal types of people to do business with as opposed from who you may think is the type to remain around. Dame Dash is indeed a great business role model for me.

●     How do you balance work and life?

Work and life balancing is tricky. There is never a shortcut or straight road of success when trying to balance the two. Life and business will always have unexpected occurrences that can demand immediate attention and imbalance. I do put forth efforts to balance the two by setting approximate time slots for activities of the two. The slots include half-hour periods to sort through business emails. Family time matters to me and ways to show support to my family is by taking time to have video chats and half-hour phone conversations. Date nights are still a thing for me so some slots on calendars will be full. Emergencies take place but being transparent helps me to function the best in both worlds. I occasionally have executives that will contact me in need of files and contracts to be signed and they can be demanding. For that reason, a little time may have to be taken to handle business for my future success. The same could apply to artists and content creator clients that may have an urgent matter. With certain projects, I fill my family in on the time that I could be pulled away to be transparent and offer comfort in "knowing". This is how I handle the balance of business and life.

●     What’s your favorite way to decompress?

The way that I look forward to decompressing is by watching my favorite set of movies at home. I have a few comedies and thrillers that I have memorized scene by scene. When I have overloads, I will often load up a movie in cue and relax with content that is not out of order and I am completely familiar with. I add into the equation my go-to snacks and drink, finding my grounding again. I forget about the momentary overloads and relax. This is how I decompress.

●     What do you have planned for the next six months?

For the next six months, I will be quite busy serving the public with more music and finding some common interests with a few investors for bigger projects. I also plan to have some music videos published and that will be intriguing to all. In most forms of art, I find new ways to project my creativity as well as the best ways to connect with the projected audiences. There is also going to be more investment in equipment. One of the greatest decisions for anyone in business is to continue investing in yourself and your brand. When you invest in your business and brand, you are setting a foundation for growth and success. My next six months will be busy if not exciting.

●     How can our readers connect with you?

I can be connected with across social media with the handle "@Ohyeahbeats". I spend a good amount of time responding to messages and comments, making sure that as many voices directed to me are heard and felt. Everyone can also stop by for the latest content on "Ohyeahbeats(dot)com". Understand that it may take a moment but it is a heart-felt mission to remain inclusive to all. I thank you all for your time and wish you the best on your journey towards success.

"Be creative" with Cori Deans

Founded by Upstate New York native Cori Deans, Small Town Cultures was built on the passion to heal with plant-based ferments that are accessible and vibrantly fresh. Fermented in small batches without vinegar or sugar (resulting in uniquely bright and fresh flavors) and then packaged in glass, Small Town Cultures’ products are a rainbow of clean nutrition. Now, the women-owned, family-run business with humble beginnings in local farmers’ markets has expanded to shops all across the country and is hitting store shelves in over 40 Whole Foods Market shelves in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas starting in June 2021.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

Professionally, I come from a health and wellness background. Those insights and skills that I developed in my former career have lent themselves well to running a vegetable fermentation company.

What inspired you to start your business?

I was initially inspired to learn all that I could about probiotic microbes and fermentation in order to heal my autoimmune gut disease. 

Years ago, I found myself trapped in a cycle of medication and surgeries to treat an aggressive autoimmune disorder called  Crohn's Disease. My doctors' goal was only to put my symptoms in remission. This approach ended up taking a toll on me both spiritually and mentally. Instead, eating a diet that is high in living colonies of probiotics microbes such as those found in kimchi, yogurt and kombucha has allowed me to heal myself from Crohn's Disease.  

Where is your business based?

We are located in the rural town of Keene NY, nestled deep in the Adirondacks. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

My business started accidentally as I had a career in which I was enjoying and doing very well. I am admittedly a bit of an overachiever. Anything that I do, I often over do. So when I started to create fermentation recipes to help heal my autoimmune disease, I didn't just make one batch at a time but I would make 4 or 5 different variations of the same recipe at a time. This then led to both a surplus of fermented goodies as well as a handful of choice recipes which were family and friend tested. From there I approached some of my favorite local health food stores and specialty markets with the recipes/products that I had developed to see if they would have any interest in carrying them.  

I was not a stranger to this as when I was in grade school my sister and I used to bake treats from scratch such as brownies, cakes and cookies to sell at a local retail store. With an entrepreneurial spirit, my sister and I would also walk up and down Lake Placid, NY's Main Street selling our goodies to the shop keepers thinking that they would also appreciate the convenience of having fresh baked goods presented to them when they were perhaps unable to take a break.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I have thought about what is the most effective way to raise awareness about my ferments and their many health benefits, and what I have come up with is super down to earth: Just make something that people want to eat and the rest will follow. So, we focus first and foremost on the flavor of our ferments. Next, we consider color (we eat with our eyes after all), then ease of use and desirability. Lastly, we moved the ingredients to the front of the jar, so that there is no confusion; our products are as simple and clean as you think they should be. I know that most companies have crazy marketing plans and pour a bunch of money into getting clicks, etc. but we’re old school. We just want to make something that you crave and the rest will take care of itself.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?  

I remember saying with a straight face to the first distributor who approached Small Town Cultures to carry our line that I started the business so that I could have more flexibility in my schedule to spend with my newborn son. I had no idea what amount of time and dedication an infantile business would require and how many family trips/vacations/beach days would get sacrificed.  

The truth is that you work hard to get to a point where you can hire people to help you run your business, but as a self-funded micro start up, if you don't do something yourself, it doesn't get done. So one of my biggest challenges initially was allocation of time. I wanted to be everywhere at once thinking I could please everyone and still do an exceptional job as a mother, a loving partner, a small-business owner and a friend.

But what ended up happening was that I never slept, worked in the "off hours" and tried to participate fully in all other aspects of my life. It was unsustainable and could have ended pretty tragically. I decided to take a closer look at my business and stopped doing things that were not working or were not in line with the direction of my company. This freed me up to focus on both my family and where I really wanted to take my business. 

How do you stay focused?

I literally, without exaggeration, hear "Eye of the Tiger" play on repeat in my head… and have for years, lol

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Small Town Cultures makes fermented veggies (and some fruits) and stands out from the competition by offering more than just kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles. We try to focus on where people's tastes actually are, instead of where we wish they were, so we innovated fermented red onions and sliced jalapenos. We also focus on the natural beauty of the vegetables which is why instead of a large label covering our product with a picture, we use a transparent label and let the ferments be the star of our packaging. Our simple and clean ingredients are also something we want to highlight, so that list appears on the front of our packaging making it easy to recognize what is, and what is not, in our products.  

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

We listen to our sales. Just because I love something does not always mean that shoppers will love it. We have found that what works best for us are simple one- or two- ingredient ferments. They are more versatile which means they are easier to use. You don't need Google to figure out how to use a fermented sliced jalapeno; you just put it on or in things and it adds all of that great flavor, plus makes your dish, sandwich or cocktail probiotic rich.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?  

Be creative; realize that there are many paths to achieving your goal and choose the right one for you. Also be prepared for failure because you will have many many things go wrong, but it is what you do with a negative that actually makes your business stronger and more resilient. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I have sooo many favorite resources. I love the podcast, "How I Built This," with Guy Raz for inspiration. Sandor Katz is my favorite writer/thinker on all things fermented. I also loved the simplicity and directness of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law, because you don't know what you don't know.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I’d encourage any start up to reach out to Start Small Think Big as the non-profit can help you navigate the ins and outs of small-business ownership.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I have so many entrepreneurs that I respect and wish to emulate, but what they all have in common is curiosity and resilience.

How do you balance work and life?

Work and life balance is a work in progress. As a family we prioritize simplicity and experiences, but as a small-business owner I need to constantly stay focused on the tasks at hand and not get overwhelmed by tomorrow’s to-do list. I would like to highlight doing what you love and being surrounded by LOVE from your family is all one can really ask for. So yes, we are busy, but we are building a life together doing honest work. It also helps that we only live in a 600 square foot house which means less cleaning and way less accumulation of stuff.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is just to be present. It doesn't matter what you are doing,  you can always be present in that moment.  

What do you have planned for the next six months?  

At the moment, Small Town Cultures is focused on scaling up our operations...so all of the normal things like hiring the right team now to be leaders in the future (shout out to Donovan, Sara, Briana, Jessica, Trista, Paulo and Bill), procuring the right equipment to be more efficient, and partnering with the right retailers and distributors.

How can our readers connect with you?

Great questions!! I have had a bunch of fantastic mentors and advisors along the way. If any of your readers are interested in contacting me I would be happy to answer any questions, schedule a chat, etc. You can email info@smalltowncultures.com or contact us through our website www.smalltowncultures.com.

"Choose your business partners wisely" with Miranda Yan, Vinpit

Photo Credit: Miranda Yan, Vinpit

Miranda Yan is the founder of VinPit, which is a SaaS-based business. It is an online platform for used vehicle buyers who want to run checks on their history. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

The idea of setting up VinPit came to my mind when I was trying to help my friend buy a second-hand car and realized that there was no effective model that the buyer could utilize to dig up details about the used car's components. An unaware owner can face severe challenges in the future if the vehicle was involved in illegal commotions and has a troubled history. Therefore, I decided to build a website that works as a "VIN check" booth for such buyers. 

Where is your business based?

Vinpit operates through the internet, so it’s wise to say that this business works on an internet-based model. It's a virtual platform that anyone could access. We are currently providing services targeted to the US. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started the business by researching the idea and checking the marketability of the concept. I also looked for any competitors or similar companies. Recognizing the target and making arrangements for the fulfillment of their needs and expectations was the next step. I made appropriate hires with my partner and pushed forward the development of service steadily.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

It was digital marketing for us. Since I had worked as a marketer for an internet giant for years and gained great experience, I understood the power of digital media marketing. I never left any opportunity to leverage it to increase awareness about our brand.  

What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them? 

Like any other growing entrepreneur, my first hustle was of growing capital. Managing a team virtually, building a robust, feature-packed platform, and opting for efficient marketing channels is exceptionally challenging. I tried cutting costs on unnecessary expenses and took one step not to burden the finances available. It's the visit management that has helped us come this long, too, in the coronavirus times when all the industries have been impacted massively. 

How do you stay focused? 

I have realized that the key to remaining focused is a proper work-life balance. I have established clear-cut boundaries for my personal and professional life and do not let any of them affect the other. This way, I'm also able to focus on one thing at a time, give it my best, and log off to switch to another role. I also practice yoga and take out time for self-care to prevent stress and burnout. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I think the difference lies in our approach. We aren't planning to introduce a tech-savvy program that is fascinated with many bells and whistles. Instead, we have developed a straightforward platform that anyone could use. We believe in technology and want to use it to cater to our customer's needs, but it should not make the inexperienced user's interaction with our service baffling. Most of our competitors try to target car suppliers. We have built our platform for ordinary people who want to gather information about used cars without a costly and cumbersome process. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?  

PR marketing strategy has worked the best for us. It has landed us a significant amount of media exposure and helped us in remaining visible. Since establishing the brand presence is one of the foremost challenges for any new entrepreneurial venture, PR marketing has alleviated our struggle remarkably. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Choose your business partners wisely. See that they are professional and respect boundaries in all matters, especially authority and control over the business. A good leader can make or break the future of the venture. Make sure their ideas and goals related to the company align with yours, and you share similar thoughts on management and other areas. I would also like to add to that, keep reviewing yourself. I have done this regularly, and it has worked wonders for me. Through this, I identify which decisions I make are working for my business and which are not. It also tells me the area I need to improve on, which can help any entrepreneur grow gradually. I would suggest to the upcoming entrepreneurs that it’s not always about what’s coming. One should look into the future and not forget to look behind, and it lets us analyze the decisions we make and keep improving. 

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I don't have one particular favorite app or blog. Since there are many apps that I use daily and numerous blogs, I tend to read every day to gain market insights, choosing one clear winner among them would require a thorough comparison. However, to name a few, I like simple planning apps like Evernote, Google docs, etc., that make my work life easy and sorted. I read blogs like Forbes: Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, HubSpot, Small business trends, etc., to learn about the latest development in the tech industry. My favorite book is Paulo Coelho's - Alchemist. It has excellent motivational quotes, and the faith and consistent efforts exhibited by the protagonist inspire me a lot. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why? 

Proofhub is one of my favorite business tools that helps me ineffective management and conveniently track projects’ progress. It helps in easy collaboration, organization, and cooperation with team members and has a fantastic set of tools that facilitate smooth remote working. 

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, is my business role model. He was an exceptional entrepreneur who had his rigid stance on cost savings and was criticized many times by people, often labeled " stingy," but that did not affect him, as pleasing people was never on his priority list. He was, in fact, proud of his reputation and carried a carefree attitude that inspires me the most. 

How do you balance work and life? 

My mantra is not to fuse them both. I prepare a routine every night before and try my best to stick to it. Furthermore, I also allocate time for self-care and prioritize my health over anything, which helps me stay away from frustrations and stress. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

I read. Whenever I'm stressed, I like to take a break and re-energize myself with positive thoughts and some "me-time.” I read motivational books, quotes, success stories of entrepreneurs and remind myself why I chose this as a career and what I can do to better my strategies and policies. 

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

I have planned to indulge in a rigorous marketing campaign and reach out to as many people as possible through digital marketing platforms. PR marketing would be our front runner, but we would also like to try our hands at other marketing techniques.

How can our readers connect with you?

Anyone can connect with me through my Linkedin account. If you want to communicate with Vinpit, you can do that via the "contact us" column on our official website https://vinpit.com/.

Iliya Valchanov, Co-founder of 3veta: Never Underestimate Your Abilities

Photo Credit: Alexander Nikolov

Iliya Valchanov is a co-founder of 3veta.com, an end-to-end solution for hosting online meetings and getting paid. He is also a co-founder of 365 Data Science and a data science instructor on Udemy with more than 800,000 students.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My name is Iliya Valchanov and am a co-founder of 3veta. Going a bit back - I was a Mathematics competitor for 10 years. Later on, I graduated with International Management, Economics, and Finance. Despite that, I was always fascinated with teaching so I co-founded 365 Data Science and became a data science instructor on Udemy with more than 900,000 students to date.

What inspired you to start your business?

The first time around, I joined a couple of friends in their efforts to create online courses. I was taking a gap year, so it made sense for me to take a risk and try my luck. It worked quite well, and we scaled the company from 4 people to 30 people.

The second time around, with my current project, 3veta, I was already an experienced business owner. Therefore, it was much easier to make the decision. We just had a very, very good idea and decided to pursue it. 

Where is your business based?

Our business is registered and based in Sofia, Bulgaria. However, with the current situation (relating to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020), more than half of our team is not actually there at all. Together with the fact that we are a completely online business, our physical location has become irrelevant – a lifelong dream of mine.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The very first step was to create a series of sessions in which we could really talk the idea through. We called it a boot camp.

During our first bootcamp, the concept changed a hundred times within the span of a few days. However, by the end of it, we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to achieve.

Every six months, we get together for another boot camp where we can decide the next steps of our business.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Our business empowers service providers to get online and start providing their consultations online.

As such, LinkedIn has been by far the best place for us to find our target audience and raise awareness.

What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?

Being a business owner is an eternal challenge.

Historically, the biggest challenges I’ve faced were due to overly optimistic goals. I believe that anything could be achieved with enough passion and perseverance (grit), but time is not always on our side. Actually, it is always against us.

Therefore, my nemesis has always been time. I want everything to happen today, if not yesterday.

To overcome this challenge, sadly, I have learned to be patient.

How do you stay focused?

Usually, I do all my mental-heavy work in the morning and early afternoon. Once my mind becomes exhausted, I start pulling “mindless” tasks from the backlog (e.g. post an article, schedule a post, format some Excel spreadsheet, etc.). I don’t need to be too focused for those, especially because I have many checklists.

If my mind clears up, I reengage in the demanding tasks.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

3veta is fast, reliable, and extremely easy to use. And this is what our customers want.

Ultimately, we have been striving to achieve the lowest number of clicks from sign-up to getting paid (similar to what Revolut did in the Fintech world). 3veta is simply made for online video consultations in 2021. We haven’t used tech from an older product that was later refurbished – no, we are utilizing state-of-the-art technologies. Moreover, when it comes to video, we haven’t simply added “an option to integrate with Zoom”.

Instead, we have optimized any and all parts of the product – with less choice, there is more actual work done on the provider’s part.

Finally – our team. Given a good product and decent funding, having the right people on that team is the only thing that makes the difference between success and failure. We are the five co-founders with very different skillsets, but with one common goal: to make an extremely successful product.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

We have also automated almost any process that could be automated. Most prominently – email marketing, content dissemination (e.g. you post a new article and it gets promoted on all of your social media or even other places), auto-replying chatbots, etc. I am pretty sure that these will be the most effective strategies long-term.

Certainly, there are some channels that are better than others for each company. With 3veta, we know that all of our providers are professionals, so LinkedIn is our most natural match. So that was our most effective strategy so far.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

You can achieve everything you want, as long as you fully devote yourself to it.

Five years ago, I was a Finance graduate with a Mathematics background. Since then, I have hardly used Math or the Finance that I studied. However, I can code, create machine learning algorithms, edit videos, write compelling articles, manage people and projects, run ads, and much more.

Everything I have accomplished has been possible because I have never assumed that I cannot do something, without trying.

Stay open to learning and never underestimate your abilities!

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App: The Slack mobile app has really changed the way I work from my phone. Therefore, it is on top of my list.

Blog: The one blog I’m devouring lately is Li Jin’s Substack, focusing on the passion economy and how creators are being empowered to make a living from their passion.

Book: There is no single book that can make this list. However, ‘Winter of the World’ from the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. Why? It’s just a really good book. Reading Ken Follett helps you understand why some people are great writers and others are just… writers.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Trello.

I have tried out a dozen different tools to organize my work (Asana, Jira, Monday.com, etc.).

Most of the time, Trello is all that one needs.

So simple, yet so powerful.

If every tool online was like Trello, we would have a perfect world.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I haven’t found a single person that I can call a business role model. I try to internalize as much as possible from different business leaders.

Steve Jobs versus Bill Gates has always been the most intriguing of clashes to me. I like both of them (and dislike both of them). So, the best of these men would be my business role model.

How do you balance work and life?

This one is the easiest. I started working with my sister and wife. Therefore, I no longer have to balance work and life.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Being in a sensory deprivation capsule (flotation pod) is one of my favorites. It is a capsule that you enter naked, you float on top of the water (with a lot of salt) that is the same temperature as your body; it is completely dark; there is no sound. Being in such a pod for an hour or more helps you really get rid of the noise in your life and focus on your inner self.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I have decided to start a multi-media approach to both the company brand and my personal brand. As such, I am starting a podcast (audio), a LinkedIn series (video), and a Substack (text). I believe that this approach is not only great for our marketing efforts but also a great way to challenge myself in different formats.

How can our readers connect with you?

The best way to find me is on my LinkedIn account[IV1]. However, if you feel like reading, my newsletter will be more appropriate.[IV2] 

If you are interested in providing online services, then 3veta [IV3]  is the place to be.