This story is about…
Name: Sherry Lynn Simoes
Location: Canada
Company: Sherry Lynn Simoes
Industry: Marketing Coaching
What motivated you to start your business?
I wanted to stay home and raise my son. I had seen so many kids grow up without their mom around and moms miss the special moments in their children’s lives…I wanted to make sure I did not miss any! I also had a strong desire to work for myself!
Tell us about your business…
I am a Marketing “Action” Coach working with small and home-based women entrepreneurs to grow a thriving business by finding the right marketing methods. I also do social media and marketing training and design websites.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
The first step was to go shopping for my computer and office equipment. Back when I started my business, computers were fairly fresh in the industry. In college we did everything by hand. It’s funny thinking back – we did not even have the internet! The next thing I did was spread the word through family and friends and my business was up and running! Then I had to learn to do everything by hand on the computer!
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Networking with proper followup – the reward is referrals! I found that it worked so well that I started two networking groups and wrote a book on it!
What have been your biggest challenges so far with running your business?
One of my challenges was collections until I got a bit firmer on the money end of my business. The other was balancing work and life – we run a goat farm and have horses.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Everyone asks me how I do it – work, family, the farm, church choir, volunteering etc. I live by my Google Calendar! I put EVERYTHING in it. I have it colour coded. Sometimes I think it may be a little bit of a obsessive compulsive thing – but it works!
What do you love about running your own business?
I love being able to make my own hours and plan my days around things that I want to enjoy in life. Spending time with the animals is such goof therapy and doing the chores each day helps keeps me fit and, as my husband says, off my computer butt!
What advice would you give to other business owners?
Well, because I am a marketing coach, my advice is to do things the right way from the start. Make sure you clearly define your mission statement and know your target market inside and out. Everything you do to market your business should be done in a way that will attract your target market!
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I make lists of all the things that have worked and the things that haven’t worked or aren’t working. Then I make a plan to fine tune the things I do, and then I go hug a tree – not literally – I get outside and enjoy my animals.
What’s your favourite quote?
Well, it is actually a part of a Sugarland Song!
“The same time that one thing ends is the same time that one begins.”
Who inspires you?
My best friend Sharon. She is just a ball of fire and does so much for others without asking anything in return! She just seems to intuitively know when my creative brain is working overtime and I need to slow down.
Do you have a business philosophy?
Have fun and do what makes you smile. Life is too short to not enjoy your work!
