Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Keith Stoeckeler, Founder of HEARTLENT Group, located in Fairfield, CT, USA.

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

HEARTLENT Group is a creative agency focused on sports and lifestyle/entertainment. We are trusted by and work with professional teams, leagues + athletes, and often collaborate with other agencies given our core capabilities.

Tell us about yourself

The COVID Pandemic accelerated the start of HEARTLENT Group. Still, it had been on my mind for years, feeling like I was ready to start my own thing and work differently from the ways I was working prior at larger advertising agencies. HEARTLENT Group is, in many ways, the culmination of my career, and I had to do everything I did before getting to where I am today. I'm motivated by each day being different, especially as a business owner. There are always things that pop up or need your attention that you did not expect when you started the day. I'm also motivated by meeting new people daily and the opportunity to secure a new project and grow our business.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've been very proud of our growth in under three years, especially in the client projects we have won and worked on with athletes, teams, and leagues, including player associations. The development moved from one-off projects to more extensive commitments and project lengths to retainers and Agency Of Record designations. In your head, when you start something, you always feel like you can get there, but it's pretty humbling to see how fast it happens sometimes.

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

I am navigating the unknown and the things I have not done before in my career. In my role, I work more with our lawyer and our accountant and sort things like payroll and healthcare/benefits, which means I'm dealing with and talking to the state and federal departments of revenue and labor, which are things I didn't do to date in my career. It gets a little easier over time, but in those initial years when all of this was new, it was daunting to understand what needed to happen and how best to accomplish it. Ensure you're doing things correctly so that you don't have something come up later that can negatively impact your business. It's daunting sometimes because there's no real handbook to look up your problem and find a solution to implement.

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

  1. Hire a lawyer. It may feel like you're not there yet and you don't need it right now, but it is well worth the expense.
  2. Don't take it all on yourself; ask for help. We have a warped sense of accomplishment where we feel we as individuals have to do the task to feel accomplished. We can't ask someone to help or take it over or be part of a team that accomplished the work. The idea that we must do everything ourselves, or say "yes" to everything, is a big contributor to burnout.
  3. Creating boundaries and non-negotiable time also helps. I take a 20-min walk every day. Sometimes a meeting happens during that time, but I still take a walk, and I take the meeting from my phone while walking. It works; no one minds, and I feel so much better. At 5 pm, when my kids are home, I'm done for the day until they go to bed or unless a call or meeting is scheduled. I try to look at my phone as little as possible during that time, and I don't usually respond to anything until later in the evening. My partners know my schedule, and the people I work with learn quickly as we work more together. Define the things that are important to you and protect your calendar so you can stick to them, as they are important to you for a reason.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.heartlent.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlentgroup/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiths
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithstoeckeler/

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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