Sage Marketing | Starting Your Own Business, As Told By a Young Entrepreneur
Are you thinking of starting your own business? Then this blog post is a must-read.
In today’s post we talk to Derin Kucuk, who is the founder of her own marketing company, Sage Marketing
Derin shares some of her own experiences as to what it’s like being a new entrepreneur in a competitive market and also shares some lessons she has learned along the way that we think every new entrepreneur needs to know.
Deciding that NOW is the moment
Derin knew that after leaving her first job at an insurance company that she wanted to be her own boss. At that time she was responsible for the marketing of the ABC islands but her experience was mostly in corporate and insurance marketing. She then decided to gain some knowledge in digital marketing and worked at a digital marketing agency for over 2 years. It was after these two job experiences she felt ready to take the leap and begin the process of opening her own company and so Sage Marketing was born in March 2019 and started operating in October 2019.
The advantages on working for yourself
Derin says that working for yourself is definitely challenging but also very rewarding. “What I find the most rewarding is when a project, event, or campaign that I’ve envisioned finally comes together. Seeing all your hard work pay off with positive feedback and results makes everything worth it” says Derin. She feels more inspired than ever and feels really excited about her work because it’s a different journey on its own with a lot of learning experiences.
The challenges on working for yourself
As a new business owner, you will face a lot of challenges but COVID-19 really brought on a lot more unexpected challenges because marketing is usually the first department to get budget cuts, and Derin experienced this first-hand. Aside from budget cuts, some of her clients also demanded a lot more time seeing as they were considered an essential business so she had to quickly adapt a new strategy to execute in a very short time frame.
What she found most challenging was to remain creative while dealing with the daily reality of what was happening. She did lose some clients along the way as some of them had to shut down. As a new business owner, she tried to remain calm but it was very scary in the beginning because you just don’t know what was going to happen next. But then she remembered that this is the risk you take when working on your own. “I realized this was a chance for me to stop and focus on all the things I didn’t have time to do for my business when I first started, and also to brainstorm on new ideas. Despite the challenges, I have never regretted taking the decision to go on my own” says Kucuk.
Do you want to start your own business? Here’s what you need to know
Derin’s best advice is that it won’t be easy but it will be worth it. What new entrepreneurs need to understand is that going on your own doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be easier than working for someone else. Being your own boss requires commitment and sacrifice. “I used to say in the beginning that my business is like my baby because I had to sacrifice a lot to remain disciplined. I went from being the friend that was always there to having to cancel plans” says Derin and a lot of her friends didn’t understand the process she was going through. The first 6 months was really about finding a balance in her life. Another advice Derin shares is that if you have someone close to you that has experience, be sure to consult with them and get advice. “I didn’t have that person I could go to for advice so I had to figure out a lot of things on my own and make some mistakes along the way which caused me to lose time”.
Motivate yourself!
When working on your own it can be a challenge to stay motivated as you probably don’t have a big team with colleagues to lean on for support. Derin shares that she tries to keep herself motivated by reminding herself where she was a year ago career-wise and how she’s come to having her own company in a country that is not her native home. Just thinking about that makes her realize that the possibilities of what she can achieve are endless. “I try to challenge myself and try new things, especially now I think it’s a time for everyone to get creative and innovative in the way they do business. When something doesn’t turn out how I wanted, I remind myself ‘trial and error’ if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again”. We think this is great advice for all entrepreneurs, not just for the ones who are starting out.
We conclude with some words of wisdom; going on your own is not an easy overnight decision, but for the ones who do decide to take the leap of faith, know that if you work hard and are consistent, you will grow and achieve so much, no matter what industry you are in. It’s about sacrifice, commitment and dedication.
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