Enjoy this week’s guest post by Dawn Foster, marketing strategist and brand guru, on her journey to becoming an entrepreneur!
Seventeen year old Dawn had plans to be an interior designer. Nineteen year old Dawn switched her major from interior design to graphic design, because she knew design, and everything related, was going to be her profession.
The plan was to be a graphic designer and work my way to being an art director. Simple as that. I’d work hard, do well, and climb the corporate ladder. Spoiler alert: that’s not what happened.
Today, I’m an entrepreneur. I’m the owner of D. Foster Marketing, a consulting agency that functions as a full service agency. I honestly never envisioned, or set out to have my own business. It was a decision that I made in a five day timeframe, after an opportunity fell in my lap.
While my journey to entrepreneurship was definitely unexpected, I’m able to look back at my career path, and know that each step that I took — over the past 15 years as a professional, and 37 years on this earth — has prepared me for being a business owner. I’m able to show up every day for my business knowing that I’ve got this. I was built for this.
While working in the corporate space, I’ve managed teams that range in size from 20 to 1. When budgets were limited, I rolled up my sleeves to get things done. My corporate career allowed me to produce quarter million dollar events, create and roll out national loyalty programs, as well as mentor and advocate for new creatives.
Truthfully, with all of that experience and life living, there are 4 main things that have contributed to my success as an entrepreneur.
Becoming the Owner of D. Foster Marketing
Creativity
Creativity has remained constant throughout my life, even though I’ve continued to evolve. The relationship between shapes, colors and words, and how those three things together can form something new and exciting, but can also be perceived differently, person to person, is incredibly exhilarating for me. I’m able to use my creativity to do something that I love.
Organization
At some point in my early twenties, I became a person that considers structure, organization and planning to be a life necessity. My professional (and a bit of my personal) life consists of spreadsheets, routines, and order. By organizing my time, I’m able to show up for my business, my clients, and my team, and give each one the attention it deserves. It allows me to wear the different hats, and manage the demands of being a business owner gracefully. One of the things that makes me special, is that I can show up, get it done, and make it look easy. And it’s because of my organization, structure and planning.
Responsibility
Personally and professionally, fear of failure and disappointment, manifests as responsibility. My process for adding things to my plate is: pray on it, make a decision, and own it. If I commit to something, I’m going to meet — if not exceed — expectations. For my clients, my sense of responsibility results in referral-worthy service. And a referral is
the best marketing your business can ever have.
Values
I try to be as self aware as possible. Because of this, I’m always evaluating what works for me and my business, what doesn’t, as well as what I want for my life, personally and professionally. For both, I do what is going to allow me to sleep at night. I ask myself, does this align with Dawn the person, then with the mission, values and goals of my business. I’m going to be honest, upfront, respectful, and maintain relationships. My values and my approach allows me to manage my stress, and it also builds trust with my clients, partners and team.
So as you can see, it wasn’t the late hours spent prepping for holiday season that made me want to go out on my own. It wasn’t getting fired from the job that I put my all into. Sure, those things taught me how to do what I do, and made me extremely well rounded and knowledgeable about my industry. It was what was already in me that has allowed me to successfully navigate being a business owner . Values, organization and a sense of responsibility are required of any business owner that wants to be successful. Creativity is the passion that drives me, and allows me to show up day after day.
My path to entrepreneurship isn’t the typical one. And the time I needed to get here wasn’t planned with a set end date. Heck, it was a journey that I didn’t know that I was on, until it was time for me to get off at my stop. There is one thing that I do know and that is I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
If you’d like to connect with, or learn more about Dawn, and how she is helping solopreneurs and small business owners craft smart and strategic brand and marketing strategies, visit www.dfostermarketing.com
Dawn Foster is a marketing strategist, brand guru, and owner of D. Foster Marketing, a consulting firm that also functions as a full service agency for solopreneurs, small business owners and BIPOC business owners. Dawn has worked with budgets that range from non-existent to multi-million dollars and everywhere in between. Her experience, creativity, and analytical skills are helping solopreneurs, C-Suite operations, e-commerce and online retailers create original branding and marketing strategies that are exceeding revenue goals and standing out from their competitors.
The post I’m Not Where I Thought I’d Be – Becoming an Entrepreneur appeared first on Melissa Forziat Events and Marketing.