Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in consulting but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mike Wittenstein, Founder and Managing Partner at Storyminers, located in Atlanta, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Storyminers was founded in 2002 and helps service organization leaders face change with confidence.
Tell us about yourself
I started my first business at 13, so being an on-my-own entrepreneur comes naturally. Storyminers is my fifth professional services start-up (including an eVisionary role at IBM). The brand started around the idea that inside every business lies a story—one that the founders know but that the world doesn't. We have helped hundreds of businesses connect on the inside with their teams and on the outside with their customers, partners, investors, and the public.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is definitely the consistency with which Storyminers keeps its promises. Clients expect us to help them connect with their audiences. We have to do two things: help identify the story and guide the client to adapt to doing things differently. It took some time to learn that and I’m proud of what our teams can do with new stories and the change that comes with them.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Being ready to listen to new voices and ideas has always been a healthy behavior here. It’s still difficult to practice. Just when you think you 'know' the right way to respond or do something, someone else comes along with a seemingly better way. It takes discipline to listen, consider their thoughts, then decide with everyone's needs in mind. It has been a difficult skill to acquire and it has proven to be worth the effort.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Add VALUE CREATED FOR CLIENTS to your financial reports. Find those numbers and learn how to measure them. You don't advance your brand by making profits as much as you advance by becoming a reliable creator of value for others.
- Remember that no matter how hard you try or how much you spend, your brand can't be any better than what your CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCE. In other words, you can have all the ideas in the world; it's only the ones you successfully bring to the front lines of your operation that others will notice and share.
- Each time you negotiate a contract, add some LEARNING OBJECTIVES so that when the work is done and the fees are paid, both sides feel richer than when they started.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Keep a log of your ideas. As you review them over time, they will help you shape even better ones. They may also help you mature as a leader.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://storyminers.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/storyminers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikewittenstein
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewittenstein/
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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