Digital Marketing Agency
Digital Marketing Company

Congrats on being brave and putting it out there for the rest of us.

I, too, started out as a lone independent consultant…back in 1994. I am very happy to say that 16 years later, I'm still out here doing my thing. I cannot imagine ever going back to work for someone else's company, putting in long hours for the same base pay rate. It is truly fulfilling to see a direct correlation between how hard you work and how much you make – at least, usually. Unless you find yourself in that tough position of not getting paid.

After starting my business, I quickly had more work than I could do myself. Fast-forward all of these years and my company (http://www.oakhillcorporation.com) now has a staff of 15 employees and we work with over 1,500 consultants. I have gone from writer, to salesrep, to client services manager, to chief cook and bottle washer, to…finally…CEO. My current job is to plan the strategy and direction for the corporation. It has been an extremely fulfilling ride – replete with its ups (2006/2007) and downs (2008/2009). All in all, though, I wouldn't change it for the world.

In the 16 years of Oak Hill, there have been 3 times when the customer did not pay us. Once, about a year ago, the startup went belly up (so we could get in line with everyone else who didn't get paid), and twice because the customer…well…I don't know…simply decided they didn't have to? Sad to say that in both of those cases, I took on the work because an old colleague was at the company. In both cases, that person was nowhere to be found when the bills went unpaid. Quite infuriating, as you well know.

Even after all of these years, almost 100 clients, and hundreds of projects, I still take each customer's experience very personally. If a customer is unhappy with the work we have done, I want to know about it so I can fix it. If a consultant has a negative experience because project expectations have shifted (or the project has gone on and on and on and on, like one you describe), I want to know about it. At the end of the day, my job is to make sure everyone is successful.

And when we are not, it still gives me a stomach ache. I am greatly bothered when we fail to meet expectations, even if the expectations have shifted and the situation was not our “fault”. Any time I have an unhappy customer, it bothers me for a while. As the years have gone by, I have realized that there are some customers who I cannot satisfy. I wish them well and move on. (Then quietly hit my head against a wall when no one is looking.)

To you I say, “Bravo!” and continue moving forward. I hope that in a decade, you will look back on this time as the learning period and that each experience pushes you to be a better you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Val

As someone who has been consulting and running my own business for the last 4 years I can certainly relate. It is enticing to do what you love and be your own master, but it all comes with a great price of patience and determination.

I can honestly say that when a client chooses another company over mine it is still a rough blow for me to take. A few things that I keep in mind to remind me that it's all good and I'm on track:

- I am holding my ground and maintaining a successful business during on of the toughest economic times in the last century.

- I am doing what I love and working with a lot of great clients

- I get the opportunity to help people who want to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads and do so for my family at the same time

- If/when something happens to my company that causes me to seek employment I will be far better off and prepared for whatever an employer can toss at me than if I had never attempted to run my own business.

What you are saying is not unique to the social media consulting space, but the fact that your working in an area that you get to help define and move the needle is a blessing and a curse.

When your everything (the salesman, CEO, CMO, janitor, etc) your not insulated from anything that that happens. Count on facing more obstacles over the next year. Also count on far more victories due to what you have learned from overcoming those obstacles.

I've been applying for jobs since I got laid off in September of 2009. Two of the most well-known agencies in my area were hit hard by the economy. The one where I was laid off closed its doors not long after that. The other regrouped. Perhaps this sort of thing is leading to more of us going the solo route?

I recently decided that if I couldn't join something, I would create something – at least for the time being. I've got a 10 week old baby and a wife who I was hoping could be a stay at home mom – talk about pressure.

I'm in the “first starting out” phase where most clients are “potential” clients and I get excited over a meeting. The toughest part to me might be finding clients outside of my immediate sphere. It's not as easy as full-time work at an agency where you had projects being brought in by sales staff or account executives. Now I'm all of them!

While it can be stressful to secure work on your own, it's also rewarding in the time that I've had to spend with a new child. It's worth the “Your always on the computer” remarks I suppose. I am a dude of faith and I've been blessed. When self doubt begins to creep in, it's nice to know that the superheroes of social media share some of the same struggles. Thanks for inspiring us to keep moving forward.