Can Our Inner Child Become An Entrepreneur?: Kim & Jason Kotecki
April 15, 2008 by akemi · 11 Comments
In love and in business together – is this the new ideal?
Today’s guest to the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series is a happy couple, Kim and Jason Kotecki. They are on the extremely important mission to save the humanity from adultitis . . . What? You don’t know what adultitis is? You have one, then, and it is killing you right now.
When I discovered their website, I almost broke into tears with relief. They bring back the fun and magic of childhood to our adult life. Every time I read their blog and the comic, I feel part of my soul is restored. I am recovering from adultitis. And they are smart entrepreneurs. They understand the power of multiple sources of income – they write, speak, sell toys, sell membership. . . (Did I miss something?)
Kim and Jason Kotecki are a husband and wife powerhouse that team up to deliver a message to empower busy people to use strategies from childhood to create lives with less stress and more fun. Learn how to overcome Adultitis today at www.KimandJason.com
1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.
Kim: Kim & Jason is all about an idea. It’s the crazy notion that there is more to life than the hectic busyness, cynical melancholy and overwhelming stress that is typical of most modern lives. Adultitis tricks us into missing out on the best parts of life and causes us to take ourselves WAY too seriously. Kim & Jason is meant to serve as a beacon, reminding you of that joyful, magical, indomitable spirit that still exists within you, and giving you permission to let that spirit come out to play.
Before Kim & Jason became a business, it started as a simple love story. Jason first drew his lovable characters for me sometime before the turn of the century. We shared a kindred childlike spirit, and Jason used the drawings, which represented us as children, on many homemade (aka cheap) gifts designed to win my heart. It worked! We were married in 2000, which is also when we felt compelled to share the comic strip and its inspiring message by starting our business. It’s been a wild ride ever since!
At it’s core, Kim & Jason (which has been described as “candy for the soul” — way too cool for us to make up) is all about helping grown-ups of all ages to slow down and Escape Adulthood, whether it’s through a stress-reducing chuckle or a nostalgic reflection at a treasured childhood memory. But just as importantly, we are extremely passionate about making a difference in the lives of children as well.
Jason: Yep. What she said. Also, I really didn’t want to spend my life “working for the man,” so creating a fun business around things that we’re passionate about seemed like a perfect solution.
2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?
Kim:
1. Funding. Jason and I were straight out of college with empty pockets and big dreams. There were a lot of upfront expenses, but not a lot of income at the beginning. We grew slow and steady, though, which enabled us to stay afloat.
2. Patience. We had grand visions, but weren’t exactly sure which steps to take to get there. It took a lot of trial an error- about five years worth. During that time there were many soul searching moments that inevitably shaped us into the company we are today.
Jason:
I’d also add self-doubt. Like many young entrepreneurs, we were very excited about what we were doing and had some big dreams to go with it, but when it comes to actually implementing your idea in the world, it’s easy to start second-guessing yourself. “Am I crazy?” seemed to be a recurring question that popped up in my head. I don’t think any of us have a good handle on what we are truly capable of and we typically sell ourselves a bit short.
3. And how did you work through these challenges?
Kim: I can honesty say that if I didn’t have my faith I would not have been able to work through the challenges. There have been a lot of silent sacrifices along the way that are often not seen from the surface. It’s been a daily walk of faith… one baby step at a time.
Jason: You have to persist. Wake up every morning with the crazy notion that “this might just be the day.” Surround yourself with people that believe in you, especially the ones who see things in you that you don’t always see in yourself. That helps counter the self-doubt. And like Kim, my faith has been crucial. I really believe God has led me to this path, and trusting that everything will work out in the end — even when things go a little haywire — has been what has kept me from throwing in the towel.
4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?
Kim: I love being able to have the freedom to react to inspired thoughts. I may plan out my day the night before, but if I wake up and decide I’d like to turn it all upside down for a new idea, I can. Jason and I have been known to go on mid-day brainstorming walks and to sit on the front porch with our laptops on a beautiful day. It’s nice to have the freedom to be spontaneous – just like a kid! We have also created a daily schedule that aligns with our natural body rhythms. We are not early risers, so our workday is 10-6:30. This allows time for morning exercise and later bedtimes, which is what we prefer.
Jason: The freedom is a huge plus, just like Kim said. Also, I love the challenge of trying to figure out how to make the business grow and get better. As an entrepreneur, you try lots of different things. It’s like throwing spaghetti up against the wall. Sometimes it sticks, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I love the challenge of it, analyzing why something didn’t work (or why it did), and dreaming up new ideas to make it work better. It’s all very exciting and engaging. Ultimately, just waking up every morning with an opportunity to use all of my talents and do what I love is the true reward.
5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?
Kim: I love the line by Ray Bradbury, “First you jump off the cliff and you build wings on the way down.” Don’t get me wrong, you have to take millions of calculated risks, but you also have to have the courage that when you jump, you will be able to fly. Like I said earlier, that’s where my faith has come into play. I know I can’t fly on my own.
Jason: Yes, most people get caught up in the big picture and get overwhelmed. They think they have to make tons of big decisions all at once. But as the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.” If you give yourself a chance to really think it through, you’ll discover that there is usually one obvious first step. Take it. That will lead to the next. Don’t get ahead of yourself…just take that first step. You can do it!
My Takeaway
Gee, they make me jealous^-^ How nice it would be if I could have a supportive partner. . . They really compliment each other. I am also impressed with their faith. There is a higher power, and believing in its guidance and help makes all the difference. I am glad they have chosen to utilize their talents and insights from God.
No Money, No Connection, No Plan: Monica Flores
April 2, 2008 by akemi · 5 Comments
Recent survey shows 72% of American workers want to have their own businesses.
Welcome to the third post of the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series. I hope this series shed light on your path to your own dream business. While I knew firsthand many people wanted to become entrepreneurs, I am impressed to read this article exactly how many of us yearn to be their own boss.
The words of those who actually have made it is like gold for aspiring entrepreneurs. This is why I have this interview series. Learn how they handled their challenges – each challenge is unique, yet you will also start to see patterns as you read more posts. I plan to post for this series two to three times a month, so stay tuned!
Today’s interviewee is Monica Flores, who contacted me after reading the first post of this series. I love people who actively seek opportunities – that is the spirit of great networking. In addition to her business website, Monica writes a blog called A Successful Woman.
1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.
My partner and I do web design and development for women, minorities, green businesses, nonprofit groups, and membership organizations. We’re minority-owned, woman-owned, and green certified. We’ve been creating websites since 1999 but launched our own company, 10K Webdesign, in 2004 from our kitchen table. From there we’ve grown and now have clients and partners from all over the United States. We specialize in highly functional and effective websites that help our clients spotlight their success, make more sales, and connect with their community.
We started our business because we saw and targeted the real need for “regular folks” who wanted to establish themselves in their business or initiative with a professionally-designed website but who wanted to be smart about maintenance and updating their own content. All our tools use back-end administrator panels so our clients are able to make content edits without having to rely on someone else to maintain their site and keep their website current.
We also believed that a focus on community-building would serve our clients well, so we’ve maintained our outlook to be one where entrepreneurs, consultants, and member organizations may connect with their fans and customers online.
2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?
- Very little capital
- Minimal networking contacts
- No real plan
3. And how did you work through these challenges?
Very little capital
Like may people, we didn’t go for bank financing and instead we bootstrapped it and put a lot on our credit cards to get through our first few years in business. It takes a lot of faith, a belief in your market, and of course lots of *sales* to make it through those initial stages. Many businesses close up shop after a few months because they don’t get enough business…. we were lucky in that we had one long-term contract and we worked hard to find more and more. After those first two or three years, it definitely became easier because we had an established record and many more customers vouching for us.
Minimal networking contacts
We overcame this by joining a BNI (Business Networking International, a professional networking group that admits one person per profession into each chapter) and networking with just about anyone who we thought would be a good fit for us. At first, you will probably have to identify the types of people who will be more helpful to you… some people will not naturally have a mutually beneficial relationship with you, so go for the people who either
A) know more people than you do or
B) are in a position to make purchasing decisions or can make higher-level decisions.
It also helps if you establish relationships with people you would naturally do business with or refer business to / for us, we work closely with graphic designers, computer networking gurus, printers, print brokers, and even other web designers who are not as strong on the programming side. These constitute our natural circle of referrals.
No real plan
I don’t know if this was so much a challenge or even a blessing in disguise. I think many people just starting out get mired in “analysis paralysis” and think they need to write another business plan or develop another research plan. For us, we had a two-page business plan to begin with, but our biggest efforts went into meeting and landing potential clients. As we became more aware of what our market needed, we targeted our efforts even more and spent a lot of time doing research and development to create our tools, which we now sell on a regular basis. If you have a product or service, start selling it and see what the response is: to me, that’s better market research than anything else.
4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?
Freedom was, for me, the most important part of launching myself, and the ability to control my time is one of the best parts of being in business for myself. Because we’ve been able to find such great staff who help us with all aspects of our work, we’ve been able to identify and target those parts of the business that we both enjoy and are good at.
What I’ve also found as added bonuses are the ability to contribute proactively to my community, the ability to have more volunteer time, the ability to share my gifts and talents in many different ways like speaking, blogging, serving on boards, the luxury to have time to think about different ways to participate and “show up,” and the time I am able to have with my family and to pursue my own creative interests.
5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?
I think someone has to decide their own risk tolerance and what they want to get out of their business. Plenty of people are able to do freelancing, part-time work, online sales, or some other combination and don’t have to leave the safety and security of their full-time job. Many other people are able to piece together multiple projects
along the way and don’t feel the need to launch their own full-fledged company.
If someone dreams of having their own business, probably two good questions to think about would be
- why they want this
- what success would look like to them
You’re basically replacing one customer (your boss) with many customers (your clients). This is a good thing for some but a bad thing for others!
Also, if you’re starting your business, figure out what your exit plan is. Do you want to build a business and then sell it? Do you want to build it and pass it on to your children? Do you want to build it and then retire from it? What does the success of your business look like to you?
Once those questions and other larger questions about industry or type of business, partners or investors, processes, incorporation vs. sole proprietor, staffing, etc. are answered, then my advice would be to just go for it. Nothing is really stopping you except yourself.
My Takeaway
Thank you, Monica. She is a great social entrepreneur. Low capital is a common challenge for new entrepreneurs because it often takes more money to build a business than you might think and longer time to make enough sales and collect revenues. But don’t be too scared – it can work as a motivation for sales. Many of us are afraid of doing sales, but it’s something we must learn if we are to succeed as entrepreneur. And with determination like hers, it’s very possible to build a network from scratch. Great work, Monica, keep going!
Making A Brand Out Of Adversity: Stephen Hopson
March 25, 2008 by akemi · 14 Comments
Become the next interviewee for the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series!
This is the second post of the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series. Before I introduce today’s great interviewee, however, allow me to report the surprise comment I received regarding the first interview. My intention for this interview series is to learn the insider stories of successful entrepreneurs that inform and inspire my readers. And Christine O’Kelly gave us such a story! When I read Nathalie’s comment, however, I realized I also created a potential goal for some aspiring entrepreneurs. Yes, I’d be honored to interview you when you become a successful entrepreneur! Stay around, learn whatever you need from me and other entrepreneurs, and make your dream come true. For me, this is like a miracle gift for my effort, to be able to offer something you can look forward to.
How can we turn adversity in life and in business to success?
Another miracle, a synchronicity, was taking place that day when I published Christine’s interview. I heard about Stephen Hopson at Andrea’s blog and emailed him earlier. He emailed me back just when I posted the interview and commented on Christine’s post for that day. Her post was about the lies we tell ourselves that effectively keep us broke, lazy, and stuck in where we are. So I disclosed one of my own lies, that public speaking is tough for me because I have accent. Christine commented back mentioning Stephen, who is a professional motivational speaker despite the fact he is deaf. So Stephen joined the discussion in her comment section. It was like the dots here and there in the big blogosphere came to connect at that miraculous moment.
Through that discussion (you really should check it out – Stephen almost took over Christine’s comment section), I learned how I can turn my perceived disadvantage to an advantage that sets me apart from the crowd. He said, “We can turn whatever so-called disadvantages that we might have and turn them into assets. Like my speaking despite being born deaf. I’d be crazy not to use that gift, right?” Can you believe this — he actually used the word “gift” for his disability. I was shocked. I’ve been writing about the importance of expressing ourselves in business, the “I Factor,” and yet this was a revelation for me. The result (one of it – more to come, of course) was my recent post, Is Becoming An Entrepreneur Harder Than Surviving In A Foreign Country?
So here we go, Stephen Hopson of Adversity University. Check out the video clip of his speaking demo, too. It includes the story of his spiritual awakening, which led him to quit his high-paying job on Wall Street.
1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.
Obstacle Illusions is a LLC that was actually legalized in November of 2007 in an effort to turn my speaking and life coaching into a business platform to teach people who are ready to explore and overcome adversity because no one is immune from it – adversity does not discriminate. My services include fun and passionate presentations so that the audience can come to the conclusion that overcoming the impossible is truly possible if they have the heart to persevere. In essence, I teach people the power of transforming adversity into success.
2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?
- Learning ways of getting my name out there, creating opportunities to be called upon to give powerful keynote presentations for organizations seeking inspiring speakers with a powerful message.
- Defining my target audience
- Defining and honing my message
3. And how did you work through these challenges?
There were several ways I went about doing this including but not limited to writing several articles, submitting stories for books like Chicken Soup for the College Soul: Inspiring and Humorous Stories About College
4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?
Having no one to report to, setting my own hours and doing what is best for me, rather than slaving away at the beck and call of an organization that might not allow me to pursue my life’s mission in the manner I was called by God to do.
5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?
Those who take the risk and take a leap of faith in the unknown are usually rewarded immensely for their faith. Following your intuition and trusting your instincts are the best ways to move forward. Be open minded and let others help you but understand that ultimately the decision is yours to make. Only your inner spirit knows what’s right, not others. Be willing to make a stand for authenticity and you will be rewarded far beyond your wildest imagination. See obstacles as opportunities in disguise and know how to surrender, not give in. There’s a big difference between the two. Giving in is like giving up whereas surrendering the outcome is trusting that what’s meant to happen, will happen. Do what your heart asks of you and trust that you will be led to the right opportunities, the right people, the right path to take. Keep trying but don’t bang your head against the wall for that won’t serve you.
My Takeaway
Thank you, Stephen. I understand the challenge of marketing, and I am impressed he has created such a powerful brand for himself. He is truly a one-of-a-kind man who heightens our spirituality. And I promise I stop banging my head against the wall – my next door neighbor will be glad, too.
