They say life is a marathon not a sprint. You need to take calculated steps if you want to get to your destination. In 2008, Singapore experienced a major digital boom that saw a rapid increase in businesses setting up websites to promote their products. Entrepreneurs also started to embrace the power of social media marketing just like other countries such as the United States.
As an entrepreneur, I noticed this shift in the market and as a professional digital marketer with vast hands-on experience in (search engine optimization) and (search engine marketing), I decided to start a company, MediaOne Marketing, that would offer comprehensive digital marketing services specifically to businesses in Singapore.
Long story short, I have been running the company for more than a decade now and take pride in the tremendous success we have achieved so far. Here are 6 important life lessons that I have learnt so far about starting an online business in the world.
You start with what you have
This is one of the crucial lessons that I have learnt and still apply to-date despite the fact that the company is now a fully-fledged digital marketing agency. I started with my knowledge about digital marketing, search engine marketing, and search engine optimization. My zeal and determination to make a lasting positive impact on society by helping businesses succeed helped my company grow.
Lesson: Yes, you have a dream but you are not sure what you should do to accomplish it. Make the first step by using what you have on your hands right now. As they say, you don’t have to see the entire staircase, just take the first step and the universe will do the rest.
Keep learning and acquiring new skills
As an entrepreneur who is focussed on making it in life, do not settle for what you have, that is, the skills and resources at your disposal. You need to keep on learning and acquiring new skills so that you can continue to offer the best services to your customers. The skills will also help you to get ahead of the competition.
Since I started the company, I have attended hundreds of conferences around the world and enrolled for courses related to my niche. Both have given me leverage in the market and that is why we are the leading provider of holistic but affordable digital marketing services in Singapore.
Life Lesson: Keep learning and acquiring new skills. Do not settle and feel contended by what you have at the moment. You are only limited by your imagination.
The power of networking with industry leaders
One article is not enough to list and explain the relationships that I have established with industry leaders not only here is Singapore but also abroad. Through sharing ideas and describing our success stories, I have learnt a lot about life and the business world.
For example, I remember meeting a professional website designer who was instrumental in creating our website. He helped redesign the pages to resonate with the goals and objectives I wanted to achieve.
Life Lesson: No man is an island. Irrespective of your current position, you need to network with other industry leaders. The only way to do that is by attending conferences and other events that are relevant to your industry or the business you want to start.
Focus on solving the customer’s problem
This is probably one of the most important lessons that I have learnt so far through experience. Every client has his specific needs and interests. As a business owner, you need to strive to understand the problem each client wants resolved before you even offer the service or product.
I remember during the first phase of my business, I would lose clients due to lack of adequate information of what they want done.
Overtime, I have learnt the importance of doing market research and engaging with each client before signing the contract. This strategy has greatly helped me to win more clients and keep my positive reputation in the market intact.
Life Lesson: Make sure that the service or product you are offering resonate with the needs of the customers. To do that, you need to do a thorough background research of the market and engage with the client beforehand.
Final Thoughts
These are the five important life lessons that I have learnt so far from starting and running my own digital marketing agency in Singapore. The skills acquired have being instrumental not only in my business but also in my social life. Feel free to share your experiences and the life lessons you have learnt from entrepreneurship. Thank you.