Entrepreneurship & Business Quizzes

Shaney Edelman's Journey to Starting a Marketing Agency

• Shaney Edelman started her marketing agency, Klitco, in 2008, which offers web design, development, marketing, graphic design, and creative writing services.

• Klitco specializes in helping non-profits, which makes up most of their clients.

• Shaney has been running and growing her business while raising a family.

• Shaney's background is in UX/UI design, which comes with a solution-oriented mindset.

• Shaney's first step into the design and web world was when she worked as an office manager at a Chabad house, where she was also trained as a web developer.

• Shaney started dabbling in Photoshop 7.0 to create nice pieces for websites and marketing materials.

• Shaney taught herself marketing using websites, emails, print design, mailers, and ads, with no formal training.

• Shaney's first boss, Robbie Mindy Cohen, believed in her abilities and gave her the confidence to do anything she set her mind to.

• Shaney always knew she wanted to work from home or have the ability to be home as needed so she could be around for her kids.

• Shaney started her business after people kept asking her to help with their websites and marketing materials.

• The final push for Shaney to start her business was an incident at work where she felt undervalued and treated unfairly.

• Shaney gave her previous employer a generous amount of time to find someone new and train them before resigning.Starting a Successful Web Design Business

• The author started preparing for her business while still working a full-time job.

• She began with seven clients who found her and needed help with website design.

• Her clients valued having a professional-looking website that reflected their brand.

• She started her business in her parents' home and realized she would never get paid for her time like she did in her previous job.

• She was self-motivated and kept her eye on the bigger picture of having flexibility for her future family.

• She worked from home for three months before moving to an office with employees.

• Her first challenge was realizing that starting a business meant investing and possibly not making money for the first year or two.

• She did not experience imposter syndrome and was confident in her skills and passion for her business.

• She hired her first employee because she needed help and there was a gap in the market for web design services.

• She hired experts in specific areas to broaden the scope of her business and meet client demands.

• Her business grew quickly, and at one point, she had 11 employees, but she realized that quality was more important than quantity.

• She learned to filter out difficult clients who did not value her process and creativity, and to say no to same-day requests.Insights from a Successful Marketing Agency Owner

• The agency prioritizes preventing issues from happening rather than reacting to them.

• They are selective with clients and have a zero-tolerance policy for rude behavior towards employees.

• The agency offers a wide range of services and strives to provide a one-stop-shop for clients.

• The agency created a separate website for ready-to-go design templates to serve clients on a shoestring budget.

• The agency provides customization options for their templates but at an additional cost.

• The agency's most successful product is their stock websites, particularly for non-profit clients.

• The agency's most valuable service is the integration of all their services to provide a complete package for clients.

• The agency operates with a devoted and competent team that handles everything efficiently.

• The agency faces the misconception that a boutique agency cannot provide the same quality as a larger company.

• Clients who have worked with larger companies often prefer the agency's personal and attentive focus.

• The agency prioritizes building trust with clients as a core foundation for producing impressive results.

• The agency's success is attributed to their strategic thinking, attention to detail, and focus on what they do best.Balancing Motherhood and Business: Lessons from a Boutique Agency Owner

• The owner of a boutique agency spoke about how she prioritizes her family over business growth, despite having a wealthy client who offered endless work.

• She believes that clients often don't know what they need and that it's important to understand their vision and offer solutions.

• The owner values being a mother first and is comfortable with the size of her agency, which is doing well and has happy clients.

• She acknowledges that some people may have preconceived notions about a boutique agency being smaller, but believes that the right clients will appreciate the quality of work.

• The owner used to teach design and marketing and was passionate about helping students develop their eye for good design.

• She had a student who impressed her with her creative thinking and persistence and ended up becoming a key team player in her agency for the past 10 years.

• The owner believes in looking for Hashem's hand in her business every day, even during challenges, and focuses on the bigger picture.

• She had to rebrand her agency because of a long and embarrassing domain name and chose a shorter one that still incorporated "click."

• The owner advises business owners to get a separate business number to create boundaries and be fully present wherever they are.

• She has a strong divide between work and home and does not give clients her personal cell phone number.

• The owner believes in surrendering to a client's choice if they insist on a certain decision, but always educates them on the consequences.

• She emphasizes the importance of creating boundaries and being fully focused wherever you are, whether it's at work or with family.