Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Matt Zavadil, Lead Strategist & Digital Marketing Coach, based in Lancaster, CA, USA.

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

My $10k Rebels program teaches solopreneurs how to build blogs that produce passive revenue. The goal is to produce recurring traffic, leads, and sales that allow for more family time with our children and grandchildren.

Tell us about yourself

I started working on my entrepreneurial path back in the early 90s as a long-haired dude... moving to Hollywood to play in rock bands. As I grew older and got married, I transitioned that strong-willed motivation to live independently into teaching myself how to build websites in the early 2000s.

From there, I started coaching with a website hosting company, built a successful debt consolidation company for a friend of mine (via his website/SEO), built a content marketing company, moved into coaching with Growth Tools, and finally transitioned into coaching in the blogging space.

Today, I'm motivated to help people who struggle with today's financial situation of higher prices and inflation. I love teaching and helping people discover that "ah ha" moment where they build an internal belief that they can learn how Internet marketing works... as they create businesses around their blogs.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I told myself at the age of 15 that I would not do what I had seen everyone around me doing for 40+ years: Slogging through traffic to an office with bad coffee :)
I said out loud as a teenager: "I will work from home someday."

We didn't know about the Internet back then, so I had no idea how I would accomplish the goal. But, by the age of 37, I accomplished the goal and haven't looked back since.

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

It all boils down to mindset. I have fought through all the mindset challenges over the years. The doubts, the fears, the insecurities, powering through failure after failure into success. I see it time and again with the folks I coach. It's a challenge sometimes to sit in isolation as a solopreneur, wondering if your efforts will pan out when you aren't yet seeing the traffic, leads, and sales that you desire.

It's also normal to have these feelings! The key is learning how to deal with them, seeing the long-term view of where you're going, and never quitting. The hardest thing for most of us is looking at our marketing efforts as one test after another. If a marketing tactic doesn't quite work as we thought it would, can we muster up the mental fortitude to figure out why, adjust, and try again?

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

  1. Decide if you're going to keep your eye on the prize.
    Will you fall into the "get rich quick" trap of 90-day goals? Or, will you do what successful entrepreneurs do when they ask themselves, "Where will I be 10 or 50 YEARS from now?" Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. Be honest with yourself. If you're going to enter this life path, make a commitment to yourself and your family that you will never quit, no matter how hard your road gets.
  2. Decide on your business and stick to it. There are many shiny objects to distract you online. You won't accomplish your business revenue goals if you switch businesses and marketing tactics every 60 days. If you decide, for example, that you will generate leads via paid ads, then commit to mastering that method without falling victim to the next distracting marketer telling you to hop on Tik Tok, etc.
    If you decide blogging and SEO are your paths, commit and don't waver.
    Pick your path and take the long-term view.
  3. Remain curious. Marketing is all about testing ideas. Just because a marketing tactic works for me or someone else doesn't mean it will necessarily work for you by 100% copying it. You might need to test a few things before you get it to work for your particular market. If you remain curious without being in a rush, you will eventually find your "magic sauce" that gets you where you want to go.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.mattzavadil.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattZavadil
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt.zavadil/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewzavadil
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewzavadil/

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.