Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Justin Fuchs, Founder of Fox Consulting Group, located in Grand Rapids, MI, USA.

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

My company is Fox Consulting Group. We help marketing teams of all shapes and sizes establish sound, implementable digital marketing strategies.

Tell us about yourself

I studied advertising and public relations at Grand Valley State University because it struck me as the perfect combination of business strategy and creativity. From there, I spent ten years working in corporate marketing departments across West Michigan, including Steelcase, Meijer, X-Rite, Spectrum Health, and Priority Health.

I moved to the consulting side and ultimately started Fox because I saw a massive gap in the strategic planning and marketing management disciplines within corporate marketing teams. I wanted to help as many companies as possible hit the ground running effectively with their marketing programs.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Hiring my first employee was by far the most significant accomplishment. At the time, it felt like validation that my business was legit (and not just me battling through imposter syndrome).

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

I've had the terrible experience of having to let employees go. Especially on our super small team, it isn't easy to do. To this day, I question whether it was the right move.

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

  1. Be organized from day one. Everything, including your business structure, filing system, accounting tools, communication processes, work procedures, and everything in between. After six years, there are still parts of my job that are more difficult because I needed to be more diligent about the organization at the beginning.
  2. If at all possible, avoid debt and outside investments. Unless you have a rock-solid (and proven) strategy for growth, these sources of capital add a heavy dose of risk, stress, and compromise to your business (and your shoulders, as the owner).
  3. In a service business, referrals are everything. While a small number of our clients started as "strangers," the vast majority of our ongoing work comes from either referrals or past clients. Doing good work is a given, but if you can build and maintain genuinely positive relationships with your clients, you'll find that your referral network will pay out tremendously over time. There is always someone who will be better at your specific skill set. Still, it'll serve you well if you develop a reputation for being the perfect vendor partner (which we all know goes beyond the work itself).

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.foxgr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxdigitalconsulting/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxconsultinggroup/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foxgr/

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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