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Need professional advice on marketing myself/business

by DigitalLayne
6 replies
Hello everyone, I am new to this great site and this is my first post so I hope I am in the right forum.

I have come to a sort of crossroads in my career. I am a Web Developer by trade and was wanting to start my own business.

I have a site setup for my personal portfolio to use for marketing myself as a potential employee because my business is not at a point that I can quit a day job.

I also have a site set up for my business with a blog and portfolio of work I have done on my own (not under my employer). I am going the "Doing Business As" sole proprietor route for now.

I write for my blog on my business website for promotional reasons but my questions are...

I have a lot bigger following in the world of social media and SEO under my name than I do under my business name. What I would like to do is start promoting my business under my name but I am afraid if an employer finds out that it will hurt my chances of a day job or advancing or even being fired. I know that is up to company policy but I would like to link from my personal portfolio to my business blog.

How do I keep them separate but cross promote without effecting my current situation.

I know this is confusing, if you need more info please do not hesitate to ask.
#advice #marketing #myself or business #professional
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Layne,

    I would be myself, if I were you, on social media. Stay true to your name. Let people know who you are and the skills you have. Market yourself (at this point at least) without using a business name. Ask those of your social media friends that are interested in web development to contact you personally and as a friend (or follower) you will give them personal one-on-one service and a "friends and family" discount. Once you know of their interest in what you do, you can personally direct them to your website. In this way, you won't be marketing a business name and web site openly in social media.

    On your web site, I would advertise and market your business without using your full name (for the time being). This is where you would drive traffic and market your company. This is where you can send prospects without the fear of exposing your name as being in business for yourself.

    At a time in the future, when you are able to go "all in" you will be in a position to merge the two together (your web site and your social media presence). It will be a natural transition and no one should question your motives or business direction.

    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
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  • Profile picture of the author RogozRazvan
    I've seen this situation before. In the other scenario, the employer actually forced the OP to close their blog or lose his job. The common sense advice is -

    "What do you value more? The business or the job?"
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    • Profile picture of the author KassimTechnics
      Before quitting your current job, you should ask yourself these questions. Do you have adequate enough capital that if you were to sever your company relationship and start either from scratch or in association with somebody, the radical reduction in compensation wouldn't impact you adversely? How long could you last on this limited income?

      It absolutely is, but, again it depends if you can validate your move before you jump.
      That's all I'm saying. Normally, most people have a vision that's wonderfully idealistic. The fervor you bring to it gets you so emotional that you get quite fervent, and you jump into it without really knowing the reality of everything involved. The fact is, a lot of meritorious ideas aren't really embraceable by the market. The market invalidates you after you've cut your basics. I'm just saying that you should try to calmly, pragmatically, and enthusiastically (without jeopardizing prudence) find out with certainty if the market wants what you have to offer. For example, if you have managed to build an email list from your social media following, you could do a mailing overture first and say, "Would you be interested in this?" If you get favorable initial responses, then it's worth it to seriously consider ways of making it your job replacing source of income.
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  • Profile picture of the author DigitalLayne
    Great advice from all... I kind of thought I would get this kind of response. I will brand/market myself first. Kassim, you bring up something I haven’t really thought of; what if I have a service no one wants or needs.

    I guess my biggest hurdle will be sales. I am a terrible salesman and I know that is more important that knowing how to build a website.
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  • Profile picture of the author oWEN tEBB
    I'm going to keep this short but straight to the point.

    Brand yourself, let the people see who and what your all about. Stay real as people respect that more and dare I say it trust more.

    If you think your work will sell then you don't need to be a great salesman. You have to have confidence in your ability to produce high quality work on a consistent basis. Let your work talk for you. Anyone can promote but only a few promote well because they understand the formula. The formula is simple.

    Quality > Consistency > Value = Results

    don't worry about things you can't control and focus on what you can. Sometimes in life you have to take a risk and my question to you is....

    Is this a risk woth taking?
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    • Profile picture of the author adrianh
      I have been in that situation, lots of people knew my name, but not my business. I wasn't even aware of that until I purged my facebook account and all the followers / contacts / interested people were gone in 2 weeks.

      I'd say the same as @oWEN tEBB, keep building your business under your own name.

      And... be aware of quitting your job. If it doesn't work out, or that if you get fired you won't be able to sustain yourself. For example an attitude of "get rich or die trying" haven't helped me too much. I went homeless, thinking that "I can do it". It was a nice experience, learned a lot, but I missed during those times a PC to work on.

      I wasn't helping anyone because I went without roof, and it was hard to have a prosperous mindset as long as the next meal was all I was thinking.

      Good luck. Put some money aside. Calculate the risks. Take them. Accept the consequences too.
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