K&M RESUME SERVICES

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week 13

What is working:

I am still receiving likes and comments on my social media platforms even though I have not been posting anything new this week.

What isn’t working as much:

I have pretty much come to a stalemate with my progress and have not received any new clients. 

Thoughts on the project:

The project is not going as good as I thought it would but I am loving learning about operating a business and being able to reflect on why it is not working. 

What I am learning about running a business:

I am learning that starting a business with a small clientele base and with a lack of dedication will not create a strong business. There are essential parts to operating a business that need to exist in order to be successful. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I am good at following tasks but that my initiative is stronger with my place of work right now and not with my business. 

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week 12

What is working:

I have received about three outreaches of communication from the Instagram ad of people reaching out to interested in me helping them with their resume. 

What isn’t working as much:

The communication from people interested in me helping them starts out strong but no one is following through. I think the Instagram ad was not very successful and Facebook received more successful results. 

Thoughts on the project:

I will be pursuing Facebook for the rest of my advertising budget while still using Instagram as well. I also plan to do specific outreach this week to people I know are looking for employment. 

What I am learning about running a business:

I am learning that it is trial and error to figure out what works best for your business. You have to try out different forms of advertising and promotion to get the right fit for your business. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I need to cut out my time better but learning that I could run a small business if I put in the effort required. 

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week 11

What is working:

I purchased a second week of ads for a post (this time through Instagram) and it has only been up for one day and I received an inquiry from it about my services. I am excited to see if this ad works better than the Facebook ad.

What isn’t working as much:

I am not receiving much other communication from potential clients and it seems to be a slow process. 

Thoughts on the project:

I definitely can see now that I overestimated the amount of clients I would get and will not have the projected results or profit unless it picks up a lot at the end! 

What I am learning about running a business:

I would still say my number one lesson is how much effort it takes to run even the smallest and simplest of businesses. I do not even have any product to produce in the traditional sense and it is very hard to create a profit and keep up with paying attention to the business. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I am getting better at the visual side of promoting my business but still need to put more effort into marketing myself. I am not great at being pushy or aggressive with promotion which is required to be successful. 

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week 10

What is working:

I continue to get a few more followers on Facebook and Instagram and received my first payment from my first client! They were very happy with the service I provided and how fast I responded to them so I am hopeful that they will reach out if they need any other help and I may ask them to provide a review at some point.

What isn’t working as much:

I still have only had the one client so I am obviously not reaching the right target audience and need to do some serious work to reach the right people and get more clients.

Thoughts on the project:

The project is moving along quickly and I think I would have benefitted from specific examples of how to do a word of mouth service business remotely but it is very fun and rewarding to see what can be done. 

What I am learning about running a business:

I am learning that it is not something you can do half-heartedly. You need to dedicate a lot of time and effort especially in the beginning for it to be successful. I think where I am at right now (currently had a toddler, pregnant, working full time and in two courses) makes it harder to focus my energy on this business and that is important for it to be successful. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I am someone who takes on a lot all and once and needs to time management appropriately better. 

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week 9

What is working:

I launched my Facebook and Instagram pages and currently have 26 followers on Instagram and 45 followers on Facebook. I proceeded with my first ad through Facebook which ran for one week and reached 455 people. I received messages from two people about my services and one I am currently working with. They asked for advice on if they should apply for a job and with my assistance, they now would like me to help with a full cover letter and resume service for them. It is great to have a client! They are from Australia which is even more interesting! 

What isn’t working as much:

I only have one client so far so it is slow moving right now but I hope to do some specific outreach to certain people my friends and family have mentioned are looking for employment and keep up on posting on social media. 

Thoughts on the project:

I was very excited to get my first real client and start working on a project. I feel like the course has set me up for success and everything here on out is just trial and error and all up to my dedication and amount of effort put in. 

What I am learning about running a business:

There are areas of running a business that will arise that you never expect, such as this client from Australia. I needed to research any differences with Australian resumes and set up a Pay Pal account for my business which is something I never thought of before. It is a lot of decision-making at every point - for example, this first client started with asking for help that I wasn’t expecting and I had to make decisions on how to move forward with them. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I am not fantastic at the social media/networking side of business and that this is something I need to work on in order to be successful. 

[kateymacdonald]

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[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week #8

What is working:

I started my Facebook and Instagram pages for the business and am happy with the look of them. I will be ready to promote them to friends and family to begin with this week and plan to start my advertising at the end of the week as well. 

I also created my website on Wix and realized that I do not have to purchase a url. The look and feel of all my online presence is really coming together!

What isn’t working as much:

I hope to start promoting my business very soon so I can get some activity and see if there is any interest. I need to focus on actually starting to run the business instead of the preparation side but it is important to feel like everything is together before I promote my services. 

Thoughts on the project:

I am very excited to start promoting my business this week and see how it goes. The assignments have set me up in a great way to know where I need to focus and where I need to work on. 

What I am learning about running a business:

It takes a lot longer to set up a website and social media pages than I anticipated. There are so many details to consider and items to cover. 

What I am learning about myself:

I do thoroughly enjoy creating the materials needed for a business and laying out the look and feel of everything. 

[kateymacdonald]

My Progress - Week #7

What is working:

I believe that my business idea is a feasible and realistic one within the limits of the budget and the timeframe and my expertise. I would have opted for a more ambitious business if the course did not require us to operate a real micro-business but I think this is even better because it will challenge me to actually start a business and think outside the box. 

What isn’t working as much: 

I need to focus more on the website and my social media presence as I am unsure about a lot of operating a website. 

Thoughts on the project:

I am optimistic about the project and ready to get started on the promotion and selling of my services. I am anxious to get started in hopes that I will meet my projected targets and start a successful microbusiness. 

What I am learning about running a business: 

I am learning so much about the legal aspects of starting a business as well as the preparation required in order to set your business up for success. For example, the importance of having a business plan fully outlined and doing market research before ever expensing any money on your operation. 

What I am learning about myself:

I am learning that I have a more creative side than I expected, especially with some of the small assignments and that I enjoy this aspect of the course more than I thought I would.

[kateymacdonald]

Financial Sources

For a future business, that had more moving parts such as a physical location, higher amounts of inventory and more complicated sales offerings I would look into the following sources of funding:

Personal investment: I would want to contribute my own funds into the business as start although this should be only within my means and not all my income. 

Government grants: While difficult to get sometimes, it would be worth looking into all the grants offered within my local community as well as the provincial and federal government. If there are funds available that do not need to be paid back, it is worth applying. 

Bank loan: This would be the most common form of financing for a small business and as long as I had my personal finances in order as well as a strong business plan, it would be a solid option. 

Angel investor: If there was someone who was willing to contribute a significant amount to my business, I would consider their offer. The only thing to keep in mind is that they will possibly have more input in the operation of the business so I would have to choose this investor wisely. 

In all scenarios, it is paramount that I have a solid business plan prepared, my financial plan outlined and my personal finances in order if I am hopeful to get financing for my business. 

[kateymacdonald]

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[kateymacdonald]

Strengths and Weaknesses

I recently took the Entrepreneurial Self-Assessment Quiz that assesses your potential as an entrepreneur compared to others. What a way to outline all your strengths and weaknesses in one spot! 

I feel like my main strength is being able to stay clam under pressure. I have always been seen as the “calm one” in all my circles (friends, family, work). One former colleague even used to come stand by my desk when she was feeling stressed because she said my calmness was contagious. I believe this would serve me well in times of stress, especially working with employees and customers, and handling the financial pressures of running your own business. 

The quiz did give me some feedback though for areas to work on! I am someone who likes routine and does not mind taking direction from others. When I am in the driver’s seat as a business owner, I will not be able to rely on others to tell me what to do - I need to be the one making the decisions. I think the main way to improve on this is to invest my time in a business that I am passionate about. I think also just being aware of my weaknesses and continuously checking in with myself would be beneficial. While I am good at looking at all sides of a situation and will need to use this skill, I also need to refine my decision-making skills. Practice, practice, practice will be the key!