And just like that OMG Solutions is 10 years old.
A lot has changed in the online world over that time! And in fact, since I first started out in advertising / marketing in 1997. We certainly did not suggest dancing to our phones for a TikTok, or taking snaps that disappeared in 24 hours as a strategy to our clients. Hmm.. were cellphones even a 'commodity' that long ago...
One thing is no more truer now than it was in 2014 - I am grateful to my family and friends for supporting me, and to my clients - those who took a leap and have trusted me from day one with their website and digital marketing needs.
With a decade of business under my belt I thought I’d share my top takeaways from the journey so far:
What’s in a name? OMG! Starting out in business one could be tempted to wait for perfection, to wait for the right moment, to wait until all our ducks are in a row. I have learnt that waiting leads to nowhere fast. There is only so much waiting you can do - jump in and know growing and changing things up along the way is perfectly fine.
Hope and a strategy. While hope is not a great long term strategy, having hope with a sound strategy behind it will work wonders.
Don’t let fear stop you. Self doubt comes and goes, some days it is a bigger beast than others. Create a solid support network of family, colleagues, suppliers and friends who you can talk to when you need to.
Turn on the tunes. It can be quiet working from home alone. I no longer get upset when my family ignore me... they don’t know if I am talking to them, to myself or to the cats! I’ve mastered the art of addressing people. However, see point 5:
You cannot solve a problem with the same brain that created it. Working alone can be isolating, grow a network of trusted partners that you can throw ideas around with, brainstorm with, and talk to when you’re stuck.
Work with smart people and trust them. You can’t grow if you spend all your time on the small tasks. I’m stoked to work with some fantastic suppliers who make my job a whole lot easier.
Business plans and goals are important. If you have no direction, how will you know when you’ve reached your destination? Every year I spend time looking at my mission, vision and values to ensure they still align, and then set myself goals for the year. It is most satisfying looking back over the year at how much has been achieved.
Opportunity and success go hand in hand. Say yes, even if you don’t know how you will execute or achieve a task. With a positive mindset and a can do attitude everything has a way of working itself out.
Lifelong learning and the pursuit of knowledge. Every year I take on something new, whether it is for personal development, professional learning, or to support my clients. Learning increases skills, motivation, confidence, and is great for networking and mental health and wellbeing.
Be Brave, Be Bold, Believe. Even in the most challenging situations. I signed up for a coaching programme my first year of business (Brave). After a few weeks I knew it wasn’t for me so I withdrew (Bold). They told me if I didn’t continue with them I would fail like 20% of other businesses in their first year. That did have me a little worried, but I carried on and here we are today (Believe).
You don’t need to please all the people all the time. Or in fact anyone, any of the time. When starting out I took on board every job that landed in my inbox. It took me a while to value my time and learn to be discerning with whom I worked with.
As such I have a fantastic base of clients – many of whom have been around for the last 10 years! Thank you.
I like to think I am an honest and decent person and as such attract likeminded clients, if my learnings resonate with you in your business journey, and if you’d like to have a chat about how we can work together please get in touch as I’d love to learn more about your business.