Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in publication but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rebecca Hamilton, Founder of Six Figure Author Coach, located in Athens, GA, USA.

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

Six Figure Author Career is where fiction writers go to get all the education, mentoring, tools, and services they need to build six and seven-figure author careers.

Tell us about yourself

I started my adult life homeless and spent a decade living in poverty, blaming the world and my situation for why I couldn't overcome my struggles to reach greater heights. I spent a lot of time in that place of struggle due to telling myself that lie for so long. One day I decided that wouldn't be my life anymore. That I wanted a better future for my children and that I would have to find SOME WAY to make things happen. I was able to do that through my books.

Shortly after, other authors were asking for my help, and I was giving it so often that I didn't have much time to write or work on my own career, so I started charging for my time helping them (which also trying to find more time to work on my own things again). I still haven't figured out the balance, but I think that's because I'm more motivated by changing other people's lives than by changing my own.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

That would probably depend on who you ask! I think my accomplishment lies most in how I've helped others accomplish their dreams. Over 500 authors are becoming New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers and helping hundreds of authors learn how to make six to seven figures a year writing fiction. While I've hit six figures myself with my books and have also hit the bestseller lists a number of times, it just seems less impressive to me than when I did it for others.

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

Dealing with competition, but not in the way one might think when first hearing that. I actually don't see myself as in competition with others. That's not productive, and it doesn't help anyone. However, it's not easy dealing with people who see them as competition to them, to the point they consider you a threat they have to take down by any means. This results in a lot of trolling-type behaviors, but as hard as that can be to deal with, I also recognize that it's made me even better as a business owner.

I know that there are people out there watching and waiting for me to miss a beat, and that keeps my mind sharp and inspires me to keep proving them wrong. And it's worked because, over time, showing who your character is will far outweigh what your competition tries to claim by words alone.

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

  1. Hire a business coach as soon as you can. I was under major constraints before I took that leap myself, which made implementing advice from my mentors difficult. I managed, but it would have been so much easier to do things right from the start!
  2. Get some iron-clad contracts. You may be as good as your word, but not everyone operates the same way. I was raised to believe you had to honor contracts, but the world of contract law is a bit more complex than that, and not everyone wants to do the right thing. Get a lawyer BEFORE you need one. Have them draft your contracts with you.
  3. Always strive to provide the best quality in everything you do. That is what will make you stand out in the long run. And especially if you're a woman, remember that you can work 10x harder than any man and get 10x the results they do...but still be treated like you're 1/10th the business person they are. Remember that no matter how unfair it is, talking alone is not going to change it. You're going to have to prove your worth. But doing so is worth it. I promise.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sixfigureauthorcoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sixfigurefiction
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixfigureauthorcoach/

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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