Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tim Washington, Founder of Acuity PPM, located in Bellevue, WA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Acuity PPM offers lightweight enterprise project portfolio management (PPM) software for B2B customers. Our primary customers are project organizations whose leadership teams need visibility of all the important strategic projects. Our software makes it easier for leadership teams to execute their strategic goals successfully.
Tell us about yourself
I have had the entrepreneurial spirit since I was in Junior High School when I operated a lawn care business called Grassbusters. I sold that business when I graduated from college and always knew I would want to run a business again later in life. Over ten years ago, I worked in a Fortune 500 company and witnessed how users hated the traditional project portfolio management software to the extent that it killed the implementation. That was the birth of Acuity PPM. I realized there had to be a better software solution that was easy to use. What motivates me is to offer a software solution that delights our customers and helps them to accomplish their big goals.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Demonstrating that there is traction in the market for a lightweight solution that is a compelling alternative to traditional software. We are a growing company, and hearing customers tell me how much they love our product compared to the traditional tools out there is both satisfying and a vindication that our software belongs in this market space.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
On a personal level - it's hard to take a break. You almost always have to be "on" and work on it seven days a week. From the business perspective, we have a lengthy development roadmap, and telling prospective customers that a requested feature will be available "later" is hard. Business customers know what they want. We know what we need to develop, but it takes time to build your best product, and it's hard to lose sales knowing you will have those requested features in the future.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
These tips are for those who want to bootstrap their company.
- Give yourself a lot of runways: everything takes longer than you expect (development, finding your first customer, becoming profitable, etc.). Keep your job as long as you can; it will reduce the stress of having to make the company profitable quickly.
- Marketing: demonstrate expertise early on about your product or service. I highly recommend writing high-quality content on your website to generate organic search traffic. Only a small percentage of our traffic converts to paid customers, but our articles and videos demonstrate expertise and produce trust in those who did buy our software.
- Find something you are passionate about and enjoy the journey: I enjoyed building this company before we had any customers. Find something you care about so that you can enjoy your work even from the early stages, as well as carry you through the rough patches.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://acuityppm.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acuityppm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acuityppm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AcuityPPM
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acuity-ppm/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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