Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consultancy but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chin Hing Chang, Founder of ClassyNarwhal, located in Coquitlam, BC, CA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I help B2B startups that are ready to scale lay the foundation for their sales operations. What does this mean? Helping them optimize pricing, develop a sales strategy, create sales processes & funnels, implement software to automate data tracking, and sales training.
Tell us about yourself
I love working with Do-Good-Businesses: companies that not only care about profit but also care about leaving the world a better place. By setting up strategies and processes, I ensure that these companies don't overlook revenue operations and find themselves in situations where they're not financially sustainable.
A lot of the work I do stems from my values - Growth, Contribution, and Authenticity. I enjoy learning as much as I enjoy helping, and consulting work allows me to know about many different types of businesses in different industries. This allows me to reapply the lessons in different ways with the different companies that I work with.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Exceeding my employment salary in just the 2nd year of operations.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
As a father of 2, the hardest thing is balancing family + time on the business and the financial risks/uncertainties that come with running a business.
That said, I've come to realize that although employment seems stable/secure, it carries the same financial risk as you could be laid off at any time given market conditions (e.g., COVID causing many companies to lay off their employees due to business downturns). As a business owner, although you face the same risk, you still have the opportunity to be more creative and flexible in sourcing different channels for income as long as you have the grit, determination, and creativity to explore.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Prioritize financial sustainability; gone are the days where you can raise money with a large user-base with no revenue.
- Lead with your values. Values are the HOW to your WHY (mission); without clear values, you might build a culture and bring on employees that don't align with how you make decisions.
- Be flexible; your product/service at launch is almost never your mass-market solution. Be adaptable to what the market needs, adjust to the market as it evolves, and lastly, be human and flexible with your customers' needs and problems.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://classynarwhal.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chinhingchang/
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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