What led you to make the jump from traditional employment to starting your own small business? I have always had a very entrepreneurial mindset and, I think in a way, I have been on this track my entire life. I had stacks and stacks of business ideas that would pop into my head, but I never felt I was in a position to pursue them. Quiet honestly, I didn’t feel I was cut out to own a business, but I couldn’t ignore that spark within me.
I had been interested in doing some kind of marketing and communications consulting for the past couple of years, but I was very happy in my job at the chamber. Then I had a few personal life changes, a couple ah-ha moments where I knew I needed more flexibility in my schedule. That, coupled with my goal of always looking for a professional challenge, kind of helped me make that decision to go ahead and jump – just do it. It was a perfect storm of light bulbs in my head, and I felt like it was now or never.
Tell us about your small business, Chamber Speak LLC. What does the company offer chambers of commerce?Chamber Speak began in November 2012, and I do marketing and communications consulting for chambers of commerce. When I was working at the Springfield chamber, there were certain times in the year when we had so many projects going on and just needed a helping hand. My goal with Chamber Speak basically runs the gamut from being able to help an organization that is well resourced, but maybe gets really busy, to helping out a chamber that may not have a full-time marketing and communications staff. I can provide expertise in every area from writing to brand development and a communications video. We help chambers tell their story.
I just wrapped up a couple of projects with the Springfield chamber – the writing and coordination of the chamber’s 2013 action plan, a video for their annual meeting celebrating the Chamber of the Year designation and the 2013 Springfieldian video – and have started another major project with the Lawrence, Kan., chamber, but I have been in contact with people nationwide letting them know what I’m doing. I’m lucky to have active projects this early in the game, but I am still spending a lot of time developing that clientele.
Chamber Speak isn’t your only project right now. I understand you’ve started a website to help women start or run small businesses.Wobizzel.com is basically a personal blog of sorts I started a couple of years ago. I’ve always been inspired by entrepreneurs, especially women, and their willingness to go for it. I was involved in the Women’s Entrepreneur Symposium in the early stages, as one of the founding committee members. Things started rolling after going on a chamber-led trip to China, where we discovered the country had so many resources available to women who were starting or running their own businesses. We felt there was a lack of resources specific to women in our own community.
I was very fascinated by this idea that women do business differently than men. There is a different energy when you get women together. Originally, the site was going to be just a resource for local women. I would post articles and interviews about different aspects of running your own business. But it quickly grew, and I was talking to people across the county. It just all started happening. So in a way, it turned into this hub and this resource for women-owned businesses.
You were the vice president of communications for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for nearly six years. What did that experience teach you about running a small business?Networking, networking, networking is key. Even though I didn’t have a long-range plan for doing what I’m doing, the fact that I was out networking every day in the community and really building relationships has helped me immensely. I have made so many wonderful contacts. I think it’s a matter of building relationships and networking for the right reasons. You are not just building that relationship so you can get something out of it, but building it to help someone else out.
What advice can you give entrepreneurs?I was excited and terrified, but I have no regrets. I know I am still pretty fresh into this, but I would say, if you decide this is something you want to do, then set a plan into action to make it happen. Don’t forget to ask for help.
