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.