Day in the Life of a Small Business Owner

     As I think about my future and all the things that I can make of my life, I always love the idea of starting my own business. For the past few years I have started leaning towards the thought of starting up a small business of selling my hand made bracelets and other craft projects that I love to do in my free time. I love the idea of being able to incorporate doing a thing I love with my career. I know what you're thinking, this has nothing to do with why I am going to college, or even why this is on my blog. However, I think that knowing how to market yourself and your business is very important, if not the most important thing to make your business a success.

     Since I am leaning towards starting my own business, I thought it would be valuable for me to talk to someone else who has started their own business, and has had great success with it. I met up with Timothy Clark*, who works along side his father, Brent Clark*, in their own investment consulting firm. Investment consultants help individuals and companies decide on what is the most appropriate investments for themselves. Brent started the firm in 1985 having to build his client base using nothing but his knowledge of investments and his skills of marketing. Soon after, his son started working with him and continued to help expand the business.

     Creating a business is one thing, but maintaining and growing a business is an every day responsibility that never ends. Timothy makes sure that he is always networking with potential new clients whenever possible to get his business known. The primary way he does this is by word of mouth from his existing clients. He relies greatly on his clients recommendations to friends and business partners for referrals. This is something that I have realized to be very important for all businesses. Word of mouth is one of the best ways for information to be passed, because if you hear about a positive experience from someone you trust, you will feel safer doing business with them.

     Timothy also never forgets about his clients, and thinks of them as being all equally important no matter what their size. He is in constant contact with them making sure that they are happy, and that they are getting the most that they can out of his services. This quality of customer service is crucial to all small size businesses. Since the client base is so small, it makes a big difference if one person is unhappy than if a big corporation has one customer that is unhappy. This is something that I think all small business owners should keep in mind to help their business expand.

     There are many great things about owning your own business: setting your own hours, being in charge of how everything is run, and there is no stress about a single employer firing you. With all these great things though comes a lot of work and dedication. I have learned from Timothy that at times it can be very difficult, but it can also be one of the more rewarding things you can do. Yes, at times when he was describing his investment consulting firm I was more than a little confused, but in the end all businesses come down to one thing: marketing your way to success. Talking with him has opened my eyes to a few different ways that are tried and true ways to help grow any type of business.

     I am now more than ever excited to venture into starting my own business after seeing all the success and satisfaction that Timothy and his father Brent has had in their own business. Using my knowledge as a marketing major will only further help me create a customer base that will help my future business succeed.


*pseudonym