Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bobby King, Owner of BL King Consulting, located in Methuen, MA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a managed security services provider providing enterprise-grade cybersecurity at a small business scale. We typically support businesses of all sorts with between 15 and 200 computers/employees. We are in the Department of Defense contracting vertical, as well as construction and manufacturing. We look forward to servicing more verticals soon.
Tell us about yourself
After years of working in jobs where I would wake up and dread going to work, I decided that this was not the way to go about life and no employee should feel that way. My goal with my company is to foster an environment where employees enjoy their work. Where they can come to work, be engaged and challenged, and be appreciated. I'm a cybersecurity advocate and believe that all businesses can implement enterprise-grade cybersecurity without breaking the bank. No small business should go out of business because of a cyber attack. While there are thousands of cybersecurity software and hardware vendors that will sell you solutions, they are most times not necessary for most small businesses. We save our customers hard-earned money by providing novel and right-fit solutions tailored for their environment.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner, honestly, must be surviving lean times in the beginning. When I started, we were teaming with defense contractors to provide cybersecurity to the Department of Defense. We would bid on a contract and then wait 6 - 12 months to determine to whom the contract was awarded. Many times those contracts were structured in a way that only one or two competitors were able to meet all of the requirements, and as a small business starting out, that was not us. While our teammates were situated to survive contract losses, we were not. Times were bleak, and money was thin, but I persevered and survived. I learned several lessons about business, about picking your service offerings and target markets. Through sheer determination, I was able to parlay my relationships into a steady-paying gig that has blossomed into a successful small business.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Our service delivery is a direct reflection of my integrity and abilities. Trusting someone else to deliver in a similar manner is extremely difficult, and that trust is not easily earned. I still spend too many hours working in the business rather than on the business, partly because of trust but also partly due to cost. I keep telling myself that after the next client, I have to hire another tech to delegate work to. I hope that I can find someone as talented as I am to take on all of the various roles that my replacement in the business must take on. It was a lot easier to delegate that work when I was doing that delegation on another company's reputation.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start the business with someone else's money. If that isn't possible, have at least 1.5 years' salary in your savings account. You're going to need it.
- Be prepared to fail. What your business is when your start may not be what the consumer wants.
- Take care of yourself. Working 80-hour weeks will not hasten your success but will only deplete your energy and diminish your capabilities.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.blking.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blkingllc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blkingllc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bl-king-consulting-llc/
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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