Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey  but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rachel Lindteigen, Founder of Etched Marketing, located in Tucson, AZ, USA.

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

I help people get more organic traffic from Google and better quality leads (traffic that wants to buy what you sell), so you can make more money. I teach SEO (search engine optimization) and content marketing. I also work with a few clients at a time, providing SEO and content marketing services for them.

Tell us about yourself

I've been in marketing for more than 20 years. I have worked in my business full-time since 2016. I love being able to help my clients and students with their SEO and content marketing while also working a schedule that fits great with our family life. I have an elementary school-aged kiddo, and I like being able to be there for him as well as my clients and students. I love being able to stay in my career field but also be a present mom while he's young and wants me around.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think signing my first client was by far the biggest accomplishment. When you go out on your own, there's this fear for most entrepreneurs. You worry that you won't be able to get clients, sell products, etc. We celebrated my first client account because it was so exciting. Each time the business has grown, I've celebrated other accomplishments. When I added the online training courses, it was so exciting to see the first students register for the class. I remember seeing the emails come in and jumping for joy because it had worked; someone wanted to learn from me (I'd taught these same type of training classes for years but never under my own business, so this part was brand new to me).

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 finding a way to turn off your business. It's so easy to think; I'll just sneak back into the office and work on this for a few minutes. The boundaries between work and home life can blur so easily. I've found I have to set work hours and close my office door at the end of my work day to help have that balance. I sometimes do work over the weekend to catch up or get ahead on a project, but overall, I try to keep my office door closed when I'm not technically "at work."

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

The top 3 tips I'd give anyone who wants to start - run or grow a business today are to get to know your Ideal Customer better than you think possible because it's going to make your life so much easier in the long run. You want to know them almost as well as you know your best friend.

Number two, set up a website for your business and make sure you have an opt-in so you can begin to build an email list. Don't build your business solely on social media because it's easier because you don't own your social media channels. Drive traffic to your website, have people download your freebie, and grow your email list. You own your website and email list. Use social media to build your audience but work to get people coming to your website and on your email list because social media algorithms change. You can suddenly have zero visibility with your audience, and when that happens, if you don't have them coming to your website or on your email list, your business can suffer. We've seen it happen.

The third thing I recommend is that you learn what SEO or search engine optimization is and how to use it, along with content marketing to create great content that your Ideal Customer wants from you to get results for your efforts. If you want content that connects with your audience and free organic traffic from Google, you have to use SEO and content marketing together. Websites that don't have their SEO done don't get as much traffic as ones that do it right.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

There truly is no need to work yourself to death as an entrepreneur. I know we feel like there's a badge of honor for being a hustler or working crazy hours, but if you can streamline your process, be super protective of your time, and stay on task, you can easily build part-time business hours. I currently work two days a week, and my business is growing at a pace that I'm really happy with. You don't have to work 60-hour work weeks to have a thriving business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.etchedmarketing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EtchedMarketingAcademy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etchedmarketingacademy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-lindteigen/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.