Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kim Doyal, Founder of Create It Company, located in Pioneer, CA, USA.

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

I have a personal brand and am in the process of launching a second e-commerce brand (Create It Company).

My personal brand: I am a coach & course creator. My focus is on email & content marketing, and I serve female business owners over 40. Everything I do with my personal brand is based on my business & life framework, #FtheHUSTLE (I have a newsletter of the same name & my podcast is #FtheHUSTLE with Kim Doyal).

Create It Company is an e-commerce brand that supports small business owners with their content marketing strategy. Our first product is our new content planner, which gives a complete content creation strategy that supports the goals of the business. We teach how to create an evergreen content strategy, develop focus content, what to create for different platforms, and how to plan a content batching system.

Tell us about yourself

I first started in 2008 for one reason: I was on a mission to find something I could do from home. I was widowed in 2003 when my kids were only 6 & 2 (I was 32). I had been working full-time outside of the house and knew something needed to change. I've always had an entrepreneurial drive and knew I wasn't supposed to be working for someone else. I opened and ran my own retail Scrapbook store in 1998 (for a couple of years) - so in many ways creating a physical content planner (with digital versions as well) has always been in me.

I discovered the world of internet marketing in 2006 at a seminar in San Francisco and knew instantly that it was what I was supposed to do even though I wasn't technical at all (I'm completely self-taught with everything I do).

My biggest motivator has always been (and always will be) freedom. Freedom to spend my time in a way that supported how I wanted my life to feel, what I wanted to experience, and where I wanted to live. I'm also motivated by the relationships and experiences this business has afforded me. I've had amazing adventures and created wonderful friendships with people all over the world, and I love that there's no limit to what I can create if I'm willing to do the work.

My kids are both grown and on their own now (my daughter works with me), and neither has ever wanted traditional jobs because of what they saw me doing. This freedom allowed me to move to Costa Rica in the spring of 2021, and it's been an amazing experience. I'm moving back to the states sometime in the first half of 2023 - for many reasons, but mainly to be closer to family.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

That I'm still in business almost 15 years later! Kidding (sort of). Probably having sold 500k with my first e-commerce company, knowing what we could have done better, and having the courage to create a new company on my own (no business partner).

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

Trusting that even when you can't see the results of your effort, consistently putting in the work always pays off. You may have to course correct or adjust, but the more you can focus, the quicker you'll see results.

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

  1. Learn how to write copy & content. Even if your preferred medium is audio or video, learning to write well is about understanding effective communication. You can't sell without a good copy.
  2. All marketing comes down to human behavior and psychology. I love my tools and strategies as much as the next person, but you can only go so far without a good understanding of human behavior.
  3. Always remember that it's people that matter most. Treat your audience, subscribers, customers, peers, and team how you want to be treated.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website:
https://createitcompany.com/
https://kimdoyal.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theKimDoyal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimdoyal/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimdoyal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimdoyal/


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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