Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Michelle Lin, Founder of Amcea Consulting LLC., located in Tampa, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Amcea Consulting is a business consulting service that offers small businesses high-end consulting services in management, marketing strategy, strategic management, operations, and organizational optimization and implementation at a lower cost due to our business model.

Tell us about yourself

My family has always owned businesses, and I realized I had a passion for business in high school when my family gave me the leverage to run their business. From there, I went to Cornell University to study business and, during that time, started another business with my family. When we acquired this business, it was struggling, and it took a lot of effort to remedy the business and bring back the customers in the area since it was a Brick & Mortar, and we needed those customers. In just one year, we managed to increase the revenues by over 100%. This was when I realized that business is truly my passion. I enjoyed remedying this business, and while it was a challenge, it was an exciting challenge. When I graduated college, I moved away to start my own business without my family. During that time, I worked with a partner to begin a startup, EcoMatia, that was focused on reducing food waste while also creating sustainable animal feed and biopolymers. But considering the timing and the fact that I still needed to have an income during this time, and I had always been a tutor from the time I was in college, I decided to start a tutoring business. But as I was doing this, I realized I really enjoy teaching people and working with people; however, I wasn't working with the people I really wanted to work with. My passion is working with businesses! I want to be able to help businesses succeed and reach their greatest potential. What motivates me every day is knowing that I can help someone make a difference with and in their business.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has the opportunity to help other business owners.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is being a female in this industry that is dominated by males. It's known that most business owners are males, and I think, in general, when someone (not just male owners) hires a consultant, they expect to see an older male, with an expensive suit, coming in to help them, which is the complete opposite of who I am. I believe in my skills and am confident that I can help businesses perform better than they currently are, but getting those business owners to understand that and hire me is the hard part.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Invest in your business today. It may seem like a high cost to start but if you believe in your business, invest in it.
  2. This second tip may seem a little biased considering my business is in consulting, but invest in a consultant when your business plateaus. The upfront costs may seem high, but you have to think about it in terms of how much more your business can make from hiring a consultant.
  3. Don't give up! When you first start your business, sales may be slow, or you may not get customers, but that doesn't mean you should give up right away. Give your company some time to reach people. If you truly believe in your business, don't give up on it. Businesses need time to grow. If you're worried about not making money on it, make that business a side hustle until you're truly ready to start.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.amceaconsulting.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amceaconsulting

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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