Welcome to the first issue of The Entrepreneur Log, where I share with you the intimate details of my entrepreneurial journey! I'm Joyce, a content marketer based in Hong Kong.
I was a 9-5 employee for 8 years before I started Joyce Tsang Content Marketing on November 1, 2020. Right now, I still classify myself as a #solopreneur who works with a team of freelance delegates. However, I see this business model having to change.
After accumulating more than a dozen clients, I now oversee 4 regular clients every month. Though I often brag about my multi-task ability and organizational skills, August 2021 is the first month when I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed.
1. Teaching lectures at HKU Space
On top of catering to client needs, I also have to teach a 3-hour lecture weekly at HKU Space on brand management. I have indeed underestimated the workload involved. I spend at least a day each week just preparing my teaching materials. I also have to commute to Fortress Hill for the class every Friday, so I'm half a day short from working on Joyce Tsang Content Marketing.
2. Growing my business
I told myself this cannot continue. So, this month I started hiring more freelance writers to outsource. Reading through CVs and writing references takes up a lot of time, but it must be done. All in all, I have appointed someone else to help me organize their portfolios into a deck for reference to save me time. I am quite happy with the 7 people I have now, and I can't wait to start working with all of them. It is also quite surreal for me - going from just having myself to having 7 other people I can delegate to within several weeks.
Now that I have a hiring process going on, the next important thing to tackle was my own branding. It is always important to get a fresh eye on the matter, so I reached out to several fellows in the industry. After gathering their thoughts, I went straight to work. It involved working two late nights until 4 am, but what needs to be done must be done.
3. Improving my content
There are still things that need reworking, but I am quite pleased with the outcome. My services are organized in a better manner, and my content is not drowned in messy layouts.
I also had the privilege to connect with new acquittances this past month. Apart from the continuous inflow of high-quality leads from my content funnel, I have also seemingly attracted other organizations. One of them was Marketing 2.0.
4. Getting international recognition
It is highly encouraging to receive such recognition.
I also have received numerous encouraging words from other entrepreneurs.
5. Client testimonials
Of course, it's not always rainbows and butterflies. Encouragement also comes with criticisms and feedbacks sometimes. As Ali Schwanke, Founder, and CEO at Simple Strat say, “giving and receiving feedback is one of the most critical skills in today’s workplace, and is especially important in marketing. Keep an open mind, always seek to understand first, and check your ego at the door."
I have indeed received criticisms on my casual tone and manner in email outreaches, the strong and perhaps, negative and fear of missing out style subject lines, and what some would find persistent, but others may find annoying follow-ups. I have remembered all of these comments. And I have reached out to other fellow marketers to ask for their thoughts. This month, I spoke with Kelvin from Onion Creative and Mia from Campaign Del Mar. They are both people I did not know before starting Joyce Tsang Content Marketing, and they are both cold outreaches.
It was very surprising to hear how much support they have for me. They trusted me with my decisions and simply told me to do what feels right. I think these are the conversations that I treasure the most in my entrepreneur experience. It's the most fulfilling when you get to connect with other successful entrepreneurs who have been through it all.
6. Connecting with other entrepreneurs
That also prompted me to think about how my business can do the same for other entrepreneurs. When my company grows, I still want to be distinctively different from any other boutique or large marketing agency. But I can't imagine having enough time to speak to each entrepreneur one-on-one like how I do now. That will require a lot more thinking, but at the moment, I've responded to the idea by starting The Entrepreneur Log. I hope to remind myself of the things I have achieved and the struggles I have overcome during the writing process. Entrepreneurs tend to be very hard on themselves, and I am one of them. Hopefully, my sharing here will make another entrepreneur somewhere feel less alone.
- Joyce
Comments