Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consulting but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Scott Bryan, founder of Attract Investment Consulting, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
My business provides investment attraction/economic development strategies and regional benchmarking to support market entry and expansion.
My customers include: 1) governments/regions looking to grow and transform their economies leveraging investment attraction (attracting businesses to expand in their region), and 2) companies looking for the ideal market to physically expand into and grow their business.
The goal is to create more local jobs and opportunities for innovation, improve quality of life, and help small to medium-sized businesses scale.
Tell us about yourself
My first few jobs were with the government, and then when I got into consulting, governments and the private sector became my clients. That blend provided a perfect balance for me, especially given my background.
Eventually, I decided to go on my own because I saw that there were mostly firms that did implementation or the strategy, but rarely any that did both (like me) and could produce practical strategies that would actually work, as opposed to ones that look nice on paper from companies that don't do delivery.
My motivation is to help clients uncover new opportunities that will have a material impact and improve a community.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Keeping my sanity :). That aside, it's seeing how the work I did helped a region or a company transform and grow.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Wearing multiple hats: e.g., when starting up, you are your own IT helpdesk, accounting, HR, sales, and delivery team.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't overthink it, just get it out, learn from the market and improve along the way.
- Be patient. Have faith in yourself and recognize things take time.
- Don't compare yourself to others. Your situation is unique. I saw a great quote online that said something like, "don't compare your day 1 to someone else's day 100".
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
It's all about continuous learning. Keep pushing yourself to learn new things. It will allow you to offer more value and be more resilient.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://attractinvestment.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbryan/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.