Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Now before I introduce today’s guest, let me tell you that I come across aspiring entrepreneurs on a daily basis and I spend hours and hours on consulting, mentoring, and assisting these would-be entrepreneurs both on and offline. Some of the very common excuses, for not having started yet, that I come across are: fear of failure and the necessity of a steady paycheck and health insurance.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, our guest under the “Our Heroes” series is a true hero and my hat goes off to her. Despite all the fears, despite the fact she was uninsurable, and despite the excruciation of losing two newborn sons in less than a week,  this is the woman who not just pulled her personal life together but fulfilled her long due dream of having her own business. Today, she runs her own company with more business than she can handle.

In this interview, lies the most important lesson, that EVERY aspiring entrepreneur must know – Don’t give in to fear. Friends, if Bonnie’s interview doesn’t motivate you to take the first big leap… then I just don’t know what will. Read for yourself…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

BB: My name is Bonnie Ruszczyk. I have been in marketing for nearly 20 years now, working in a number of different industries, both on the corporate side and for agencies. My most recent position, prior to starting my company, was as the marketing director for a 100+ person accounting firm in Atlanta.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

BB: I’ve wanted to have my own firm for many years, but was never in a position to make the leap, for various reasons. I’m virtually uninsurable on my own (Crohn’s disease), I needed a consistent income and I let the fear of failure guide my steps. In early June, I was told that my firm was eliminating my position (as well as that of our business development director). I was 20-weeks pregnant with twins at the time. While they were generous with their offer, I was in no position to go look for another job. I felt like now was my time. Sadly, I went into early labor 3 weeks later, and we lost our first son. After a week on bed rest in the hospital, we lost our second son, and I nearly died in the process of the stillbirth. Moments like that can really change your perspective. While I was now, very sadly, in a position to go look for another job, I decided to stick to my guns and start my own company anyway. Life is way too short to play it safe all the time and I wanted to pursue my dream. And hell, the worst that can happen is I fall flat on my face and go look for a new job anyway.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare yourself for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

BB: Once I made the decision, I started getting advice from everyone I knew, especially those in the industry and other entrepreneurs. I was encouraged to proceed. While the economy was still pretty bad, I was told that now is the best time to start a company. Because of my business structure (I’m the only employee but I bring in other freelancers on an as needed basis), I can compete with much larger firms. Yet because my overhead is low, I can charge lower fees yet provide equal or better services as the bigger guys. The last day at my job was mid-August, and by that time I had my website up, my company incorporated, my business cards printed, etc. I went on a two week vacation to signify the end of a bad summer and the start of a wonderful fall. When we returned, I hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since.

DD: What are your tips and suggestions for want-to-be entrepreneurs?

BB: 1) Don’t give in to fear. You can think of many reasons to not start your own business, but most of them are simply fear. Be positive.

2) Do your research and planning. Talk to others who have done it successfully, even competitors. Get as much information as you can before you start. And create a business and marketing plan for your company too. I think a lot of companies fail because they don’t know where they are going, so they don’t have a clear idea of how to get there.

3) Pick a niche and stick to it. The other temptation for anyone just starting out is to just take any business that comes your way and try to be everything for everyone. This makes your marketing efforts incredibly difficult and you end up not being an expert at anything. I focused my company on marketing services for professional service providers (CPAs, attorneys, consultants, etc.). I’ve stepped outside of that realm a couple of times, but in those cases, I’ve hired outside help to do most of the work. That way I can truly focus on my niche and create a reputation and brand within that smaller audience.

4) Network, network, network. I can’t even begin to count the number of “business” lunches and coffees I’ve had in the last six months. But there hasn’t been one week where I haven’t had at least 3 prospect meetings. Even if the person you are meeting with doesn’t turn out to have business, and many won’t, they know people, who know people, etc. I’m on 5th and 6th generation meetings now, and it is truly paying off.

DD: How are you now? Are you still in same business, and how do you feel?

BB: I’ve never been happier. I just celebrated the six month anniversary of my business, and I almost have more work than I can handle. It’s a roller coaster of emotion, but it is incredibly exciting and empowering to be in control of my own destiny.

DD: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your emotional story with me Bonnie. I know it must have been hard to talk about but after all the ups and downs you have come out extremely successful and it has been a pleasure talking with you about your entrepreneurial experience. I wish you all the best in the future.

BB: Thank you, Devesh, for listening and for believing in entrepreneurs like me. It has been a tough journey, that’s for sure, but I started fresh, dusted myself off and am happier than ever with my business and my life. The most important part of this adventure we call entrepreneurship has been not giving into my fears. And I would like to pass that advice onto all the prospective entrepreneurs out there.

DD: That was Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk everyone, who shared her amazing entrepreneurial journey with us. Remember, don’t let your fears get the best of you…what do you have to lose? The worst that can happen is to be unsuccessful and then you just try, try again.

Success to all!!