"Allow yourself time to get your customer base – nothing happens overnight" with Taylor Watson
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Photo Credit - Taylor Watson
Taylor Watson founded her business as she identified a gap in the market for anyone seeking information on how to become a successful Remote Worker. She realised that people needed access to credible information, and she decided she wanted to share some of the knowledge she had gained over the years. She has many years’ experience in running and managing her own business and feels now is the time to give something back. She enjoys reading, walking, spending time with her two cats - and the occasional glass of red wine!
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I started as an admin assistant many years ago (far too long ago if I am truthful!) and worked my way up through the ranks eventually becoming a PA to the CEO of a large multi-national organisation. I subsequently accepted a promotion and took on a senior management role with large budgetary and staffing responsibilities. It was during this time that I thought about what I wanted to do in the future, and what my next step was going to be? From that, a little seed of working for myself started to grow.
What inspired you to start your business?
I recognised that I had gone as far as I could go in the corporate world and that gave me the impetus to step back and have a look at what I was doing and where I wanted to go. I had gained a lot of business knowledge during my early working years, and I realised I could make use of that to start out on my own.
There were also considerations around family members (both young and old) and I realised I wanted/needed to spend more time with them. I guess the work/life balance issue really started to matter to me, so once again I recognised that if I started to work for myself I could control what I did and when I did it.
Where is your business based?
Well, it is a bit cliché but everywhere - as the internet allows me to reach a global audience I am not tied to one geographic location. I have had the opportunity to work in some wonderful remote locations (think Caribbean) and from coffee shops, co-working spaces, airport lounges, right through to cruise ships.
Whilst there will be slight variations regarding rules and working practices throughout the world the basic outline for creating and operating any business is basically the same.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
I first started out offering remote services, think proof-reading, basic admin, database cleansing, that type of stuff (note: this was long before the whole ‘work from home’ idea had become the norm) and I am glad to say I have never looked back. It was amazing how quickly people adapted to the concept of hiring someone to do the work remotely.
After several years I did a bit of research and realised that there was an obvious lack of information for anyone wanting to become a remote worker. Following some brainstorming I decided to create something that would fill this space. A basic website, a lot of research, plenty of content writing and several discussions with a trusted associate, helped me flesh out the concept and develop the idea further.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
The whole concept of my business is about giving something back, so I have found the best way to raise awareness is through forums. This allows me to share information and answer questions that are directly relevant to the community.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Like most businesses when they first start out it is getting an audience - and keeping them. There is no point producing content after content if no-one is going to read it! Perseverance is key.
How do you stay focused?
I just think back to when I first started out in business and how nervous I was - is this going to work? Where is my next pay-check coming from? Can I do this! This helps me focus on what the readers are looking for and helps me develop content that will guide them through what they need to do to become successful.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
This is an easy one to answer. Everything I do is with the end-user in mind. What do they need to know? What can I share with them? All of the information I provide is shared freely. No signing up for courses, no having to subscribe to get information, no having to buy templates or information packs. All information is provided free of charge – I truly believe in giving something back.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
As I mentioned earlier, engaging with people on business forums, or other sites like Reddit and Quora, allows me to reach a wide variety of people throughout the world where I am happy to share information with them.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Do your research. Stick at it. Allow yourself time to get your customer base – nothing happens overnight. Make sure you have enough funds tucked away to cover any lean periods. Be flexible and ready to adapt to any ongoing changes in the marketplace.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I think any of the apps that allow people to stay connected get a big thumbs up from me. We all need to be able to support each other, even if it is just a few quick words sent over Messenger or WhatsApp, or any other social media platform, which allows people to feel included, valued, and not forgotten about.
I love a bit of space – literally! My favorite blog, at the moment, would be anything to do with space. We are sending out new highly equipped telescopes, we are looking for life on other planets, we are hoping to return to the moon – it is absolutely fascinating. NASA and the UK Space Agency both have some fantastic reads at the moment.
My favorite book would be The Hobbit, and also Lord of the Rings, I know that means I have chosen two books, but you can’t have one without the other. I first read them as a young girl, and I just loved the fantasy of the journey, the ring, Gandalf, meeting the elves, battling Orcs, and of course Gollum who was the lost soul in all of it. Frodo had to suddenly deal with situations he had never come across before and it was interesting to see how he dealt with the choices he made. A bit like life I guess.
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
Oh, I love anything that is free. There are loads of ‘try before you buy’ resources out there and most offer a basic free product. Sometimes the basic product will be all that I need but there are times when a paid for version is required. For me things like TeamViewer, Dropbox and Evernote are all great for sharing data with clients. I also couldn’t be without Google Calendar. Absolutely everything gets listed into the calendar ensuring that each event is categorised by time, date, importance, colour coded, etc - an absolute necessity for me.
Who is your business role model? Why?
I like people who I guess have similar values to myself. Think Oprah Winfrey who regularly gave unexpected gifts to her audiences attending The Oprah Winfrey Show, or Deborah Meaden who through her work on the UK Dragons Den programme has freely shared her business knowledge with aspiring young entrepreneurs. These women are strong, business individuals who many young people look up to – they are certainly excellent business role models.
How do you balance work and life?
I try to schedule work around my home life, rather than the other way around. I know that might sound a bit counter-productive to running a successful business, but actually it reduces a lot of stress and worry. If I want to nip out shopping during the day, go for a long lunch, or do an early morning yoga class, I do. I just organise my schedule so I will complete the work in the evening, or at the weekend if that suits me.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
Did I mention my two cats? They are a great distraction at the end of the day – well actually throughout the day too as they tend to come into the office and plonk themselves on my keyboard. A few cuddles with them in the evening (and a cheeky glass of red wine) and everything re-sets so I am ready to start fresh the next day.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
Over the next six months I intend working on some new, exciting content. This will be focused on remote working as an employee, rather working as a self-employed remote worker.
For the self-employed remote worker I also expect to develop a few more guides on how to deal with different types of customers and what to do if things aren’t going quite as expected.
How can our readers connect with you?
If anyone would like to follow me on Twitter they will be informed of the latest news and links to the most recent articles.
@AssistantAdvice