Kim's BizBlog

My primary responsibility is to act as liaison between my clients and my vendors.  My success hinges on my ability to properly assess what a client needs and wants in one discussion.  

After I am certain that I know what the client wants, I then contact all my vendors for products/services & pricing.  Instead of my client having dozens of conversations with  numerous vendors, they have one conversation with me.

This leaves me talking to many business owners with different talents.  As I act as client on behalf of my clients, I've noticed a common habit among many professionals:  Treating the client as the professional.

Here's what I mean.  Let's say you want your family room painted.  A painter comes over to see the room and take measurements.  He then asks, "What kind of paint do you want me to use?" 

Perhaps you know a little about paint and know how to answer that question, but 95% of those calling a painter to paint for them, do not.  That's why they called the painter in the first place.  This response leaves the client overwhelmed because they suddenly have to learn about paint. 

A better response from the painter might be, "Since this is a family room, I would suggest a low VOC eggshell or satin that's easier to clean." 

This response puts a period on the project alleviating stress on not only the client, but the painter so that they both have a better experience.

That's a pretty straight forward example, but there are dozens that I hear every day that aren't so clear cut.  There's a definite trick to knowing exactly what questions you need answered from the client and what you can infer based on their needs and your experience.

I've found the client doesn't care about the minute details.  They just see the overall picture and want the professional to figure out the logistics.  It may take work on the part of the professional to perfect the way they get information from a client, but in the long run, it will save everyone a lot of headache!

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment.

Think you want to work at home?  I used to think that.  The commute is quick, the overhead is low and no one can complain about me wearing yoga pants to work.   

When I first started it was great.  The boundaries between work life and home life were easily established.  I would get up, maybe exercise, feed our dogs, have some breakfast and make sure I was locked in our home office by 8am. 

Then something happened.  I became busy.  Our upstairs turned into a staging/inventory area.  My dining room table turned into a conference table.  And, my kitchen table turned into a remote station for my laptop as I ate lunch and cooked dinner, as did our couch since I work on my laptop while watching TV. 

Suddenly the lines between home and work are blurred.

My father, one of the wisest men I know, has had an accounting firm for over 30 years.  Having had the same struggle when he first got started, he recognized this and offered up one of his empty offices to me in return for some marketing work.   

I figure if I have a different place to go according to the work I'm doing, I'll be more focused.  Day two and I've been incredibly productive.  Yesterday, I had an appointment in the morning, came to the office to work on paperwork, billing and return a few phone calls, and then went shopping for a client in the afternoon.   I didn't get a chance to work last night due to the Frog game, but maybe it's working. 

A friend told me once, "The key to working from home is to shower and get dressed every morning."  That's true.  And, sound advice just in general.  I think I would also add to that, build boundaries.  Tall boundaries.  With locks. 

You may not have a familiy member or friend with an office sitting empty, but you can still create a remote office space.  I used to go to coffee shops.  Actually, Panera is the best place that I've found to plug in and work.  They have outlets at almost every table and the wireless is free and easy to access.

Oh!  And, I figured out yet another way that you can get away with wearing yoga pants to work (short of being a yoga instructor)...being the boss' daughter. 

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment.

 Maybe I'm abnormal, but there were many things I didn't even think of when going out on my own.  Things like, "Who's going to answer the phone?" 

As I told you in my last post, I just hung out my Peekaboo shingle and got to work.  My first day in my home office there was a paper jam in my printer.  This was no good.  In what I still call, "My Real World Job" I would have buzzed my last office manager, Laura.  Now, it was all on me.  After about 2 hours of poking and prodding, I DID IT!  I remember calling Laura and saying, "You'll never guess what I just did.  All by myself."

That was just the beginning.  My research and development, production, sales, accounts receivable, payable and customer service all fell on one person...ME!   And then, the phone rang.  For a brief second, I considered answering in a different voice so that it would sound as though I had an assistant or receptionist.  Something to make me appear...like a real business, with real employees.  After all, even those who I'd sought out for professional counsel in order to start my business weren't really working for me.  Rarely did they return my phone calls.  They obviously had bigger fish to fry. 

All of this leaves a new business owner feeling like a poser.  That's something that I thought only I felt until I started talking to other small business owners.  It's actually a common feeling.  The feeling of having to convince people you're a real business.  I can't tell you how many clients I told my life story to just so they would know that I was serious.  Finally, someone said, "We don't care about all of that.  We just like the service you provide." 

So, if you are thinking of leaving your real world job to start your own business, do this:  look around your office/company and write down all of the jobs held by your co-workers.  Then, think about doing every single one of their jobs and how you would handle that. 

In a perfect world, you'd hire several people to complete these jobs.  But, the reality of a new business is limited capital which means limited funds for help which leaves you holding the bag.  You gotta love your business!

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment.

There's no doubt that starting a business with limited capital is difficult.  I'm not saying you should do it for every business, but it might be a good idea for your first.

The one phrase that I couldn't get away from when I started my business was, "Most businesses fail in their first 2 years of business."  This fact was further confirmed to me in the book, Starting from Scratch by Wess Moss.  You may find it odd that this book was one of my biggest inspirations.  But, the book also confirmed that 2nd+ ventures often succeed, and big.  Now, I know why.    

If I was going to give advice to an eager entrepreneur based on my experience, it would be 2-fold. 

(1)  If you're not willing to work harder than you've ever worked in your life, for no pay, don't start a business.   

(2)  Still in?  Then, if you're going to start a business, don't get a loan or investors, just put a shingle out and muddle through it.  You never know, you might succeed, but the odds are you won't.  What you will do is learn about starting a business in a way that you will never forget.  And, at the end of your education, you won't have to go back to your desk job to pay off your business loan.

I know it sounds harsh, but for the majority, it's true.  It's definitely been true with Peekaboo.  I told myself that I would take my first year perfecting the process assuring that every client will get the same Peekaboo Experience.  I wheeled and dealed all over town taking on as many clients as I could.  I did most of the work myself, even painting.  In that year, I learned that there is definitely a market for my new concept.  More importantly, I learned that marketing a new concept is like a deaf man communicating to a crowd of blind folks.  It feels impossible. 

There's no doubt that things have moved slower because I've boot strapped.  But, what funding yourself does is that it forces you to learn the positions that you might otherwise hire someone else to do.  That experience, for me, has been invaluable.  Now that I'm looking to outsource some of these jobs, I'm not only able to speak a little of their lingo, I know, first-hand, the value of each job.  If someone tries to charge me $1500 for a job I know I can easily complete in 2 hours, I keep looking. 

This also rings true for my Peekaboo vendors & employees.  I firmly believe that the best employers know and understand the positions of all those whom they employee.  Because I have done the work myself, I have the proper respect for each job.  When a vendor tries to up sell the work on a specific item, I know, from my own experience, whether that up sell is sincere or contrived.     

So, where is Peekaboo today?  Well, the old saying, "Hindsight is 20/20," couldn’t be truer when it comes to my business.  At the 3 year mark, I finally know what it will take to make my business a success.  About 8 months ago, I had a heart to heart with myself and really focused on the branding of my business.  I re-evaluated profit centers, discarding those that aren't worth the time and adding some that will help fund my dream.  Peekaboo is coming out of its' business cocoon and will soon be a beautiful business butterfly!  However, had I gotten a loan for my "business education"...I'd be back at my old TV job selling air right now!  

NEXT TIME:     Things to consider before you leave that comfy day job...like fixing paper jams.

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment. 

I'm one of those annoying people who are always trying to think up the next BIG idea or product.  I've been that way my whole life.  And, my whole life I have thought these BIG ideas were only to be shared with the mirror and me. 

Then, I read somewhere that if you have an idea you think may be good, share it with everyone you know, especially those who may purchase your product/service.  This went absolutely against everything I'd been told.  The author's point, that I now know firsthand, is that it is incredibly difficult to start a new business, and even harder to sustain that business.  The chances of someone stealing your idea and actually making a go of it are very slim. 

That said, I would add, know who you're talking to.  I'm not going to sit down with Gerber to bounce off my idea for an automatic baby feeder.  They have the means to research and put that puppy into production much faster than I do.  Now, if I've tested the idea in the market and determined it's a product that would be profitable, then I may talk to Gerber with my prototype and patent displayed proudly on the desk between us.

It's important to speak your idea out loud.  Things often sound better in our thoughts than they do as spoken word.  Find your target audience and ask their thoughts on your service or product. 

What if the feedback is bad?

This was the case with Peekaboo DG, which, by the way, started with the name, Mum's the Word.  Talking about my idea made me realize that no one could remember the name, "Mum's the Word."  That's when I switched to Peekaboo.  That stuck.

Approximately 55% of the overall feedback to my idea was negative, these people told me the the idea stinks.  But, then there was my true audience, working women.  They not only told me the idea was genius, they offered suggestions to make it better.  The clincher for me was my own situation.  As a working woman with no time to shop for my own clothing, I wasn't sure how we were going to prepare for a baby when the time came, much less keep the surprise.  Yet, after hours of research, I knew there was no one I could call to help...in the entire country, even.

This made it scarier.  Not one person in the entire country had started this simple idea?  Maybe there wasn't a true market.  The final nail would have been put into the Peekaboo coffin if it hadn't been for my brother and sister-n-law allowing me to test the idea with their 3rd pregnancy.  My husband, who wasn't completely sold on the idea himself, helped as we took them through the process.  By the end, he was sold and ended up being the one to encourage me to take the leap.

So, I took all of the fuzzy knowledge listed above and decided to take my idea to market.  Was it a smart move?  That's yet to be answered.  I can tell you that in the 3 years since I started my business, other businesses like mine have popped up.  One in particular popped up looking oddly like mine...you know, in a not so original way.  This was very irritating, but, at the same time, kind of flattering.  Several of those businesses have come and gone.  And, I still stand. 

There are very few people I would encourage after receiving feedback like mine.   I believe in the business I have built 210% and am willing to do what it takes to make it successful.  It's a question that you have to ask yourself.  How far will you go to make your idea a reality?  A profitable reality?

NEXT TIME:     Funding your first time business venture...

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment. 

In my last post I promised I would share the most shocking thing that I've learned in starting a new business.  Well, here goes.  People, possibly your friends and family, don't want you to succeed.  Maybe that's too strong a statement, but they will definitely look for reasons for you to fail.

People ask me about my business and I lay out my spiel, "It's a baby planning and nursery design firm focused on alleviating the stress of an expecting couple.  Our niche is assisting parents who want to keep the surprise of boy or girl and still get their gender specific dream nursery."

The Direct Response:  "Well, who the hell would ever pay for something like that?"                                                                         

The Passive Aggressive Response:  "And, people really hire you to do that?"                                                                                                                                                                    

And, my favorite, The No Response: "Oh," pause,”Huh."  Then, usually there's a nodding of the head as they back away from me like I'm an alien.

This was a shocker for me and it continues to be a brutal blow to my business ego.  It got so bad, that I was embarrassed to tell people about my business and that's a fatal flaw.

Don't get me wrong, these responses are peppered in, lightly peppered in, with those strangers who call me a genius in fan mail declaring they wished something like this existed when they had their babies.  That feedback helps, but it doesn't erase the negative.

Two years into my business, I read the best piece of advice that I could ever hope to give.  It's in one of my favorite books, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  Yes it is a book about visualization, the power of thought and all of those wacky things that made The Secret a best seller...things I happen to believe in, but another day. 

I read The Secret before I read Think and Grow Rich.  Inspired by The Secret, I put out into the universe exactly what I wanted.  Then, I sat and waited.  You know what the universe gave me?  Squat.  Nada. Nothing.

Think and Grow Rich is different.  It takes you to the next logical step...hard work.  You put your intentions out to the universe, but then you have to show the universe that you mean business.  Otherwise, you get squat.  "Think" refers more to thinking like the wealthy do in order to become wealthy, rather than just thinking to become wealthy. 

Here's the piece of advice from that book that hit home with me:

The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient for their needs are, generally, easily influenced by the "opinions" of others. They permit the newspapers and the "gossiping" neighbors to do their "thinking" for them.  "Opinions" are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them.  If you are influenced by "opinions" when you reach decisions, you will not succeed in any undertaking, much less in that of transmuting your own desire into money.  If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no desire of your own.        Think and Grow Rich: Napoleon Hill, pg 158

I'm not big on giving advice, but this is a piece of advice I'd feel comfortable giving any entrepreneur.  I wasn't prepared for a lot when I started this business, but if you had told me that people would go out of their way to come up with reasons for you to fail, I wouldn't have believed you.  These negative statements are anchors to an entrepreneur.

The book recommends creating a "Master Mind" Group.  A group of individuals who are in complete sympathy and harmony with your purpose.  Here's another statement in the book that may shock you, but also ring true:

Close friends and relatives, while not meaning to do so, often handicap one through "opinions" and sometimes through ridicule, which is meant to be humorous. Think and Grow Rich: Napoleon Hill, pg 159

For me, I try to remember the families I know have been helped as a result of my business and be confident in the fact that there is a need for my business.  No matter what anyone else says!

If you've had a similar experience or have valuable advice that you've learned through your experience, let me know.

NEXT TIME:  I've just told you that people balk at my idea and yet, I still took it to market.  Next time, I'll tell you why I believe in my business concept 210%!  Do you have a new concept you want to take to market?   How deeply do you believe in it?

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author.  The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice.  It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner.   As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment. 

Hello!  And, welcome to Kim's BizBlog.

My name is Kim Hendry and this is a blog chronicling the woes and WHOA's! of starting, running and growing a small business. 

This is something that I've wanted to start for a long time now.  When I began just thinking of thinking of starting my own business, I tried to read all I could on how to do it successfully.  There are many great books and articles and I'll list them as we get rolling here.  But, what I didn't get from a book was a relevant and real perspective from a current small business owner.  Information overload...great!  Real life perspective...not so great!

I have so many things rattling around in my head right now; I can't wait to get started!  I've had my business for several years, so I'm going to be reflecting back on my start and things I wished I'd known along with the things that I'm struggling with now.  I will take everything that you read in books and add to it according to what I've lived (day and night, night and day!!).

I'd also like to encourage other small business owners to comment and share their agreements, disagreements and experiences so that we can all learn together.

One of the many reasons for opening this dialogue is the soaring unemployment rate.  With more and more people being "pushed out of the nest" and into making that big idea they've been carrying around a reality, maybe I can be some sort of "help."  ...reminds me of one of my favorite sayings, "If you can't serve as a good example, you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning."  

In all seriousness, now, more than ever, we need to encourage, support and promote the entrepreneurial spirit.  It's what makes our country great.  Plus, small business provides something like 75% of the jobs in America (SBA).  Ya know...there's that. 

Be sure to sign up to get e-mails when I add a new post.

NEXT TIME:  I'm going to share the reactions that I got and still get from people when I tell them about my business.  You'll be shocked!  I'm curious if any other business owners received the same feedback.  And, if you're thinking of starting a business...be prepared!  No one prepared me for this one!