Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in freelancing but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jenny McNiven, a writer, voice artist, and instructional designer based in Doylestown, PA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
JennyMcNivenCreative is the brand under which I offer freelance services in voice-over, writing, and video content creation. This includes on-camera spokesperson work as well as UGC. I also do a limited about of eLearning design, although due to the nature of eLearning development, I cannot work with many clients as the process is very time-consuming.
Tell us about yourself
I have a background of over twenty years in performance, and while working as an Instructional Designer, I wanted to find ways to incorporate my passion for creative expression with my job. I had also been creating video content for years on YouTube and knew that I really enjoyed video and audio as a medium for expression and education. I decided to start recording my own voice-over for the eLearning I designed and realized that I had a unique opportunity to combine my skills as a theatrically trained actress and content creator with the world of online educational content through offering my services in writing, voice-over, and video creation in that realm. Now, I enjoy working with clients to bring their vision for video or audio content that will benefit their company or creative endeavors to life. Being able to tackle a project using my unique skills and talents and helping business owners, educators, and creative people in the process all motivate me to continue to find amazing people to work with within the online space.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Moving from the ideation phase of how I could turn my passions into my career was a long process. I think many people have this desire to create something unique and special that can help people in the world. They just don't know how to take the first steps. In the last year, I have come out of hiding and put myself out there as a freelancer, building what I hope to be a successful business that will allow me to thrive as an entrepreneur and create a life of true fulfillment. I'm also a single mom, so I'm pretty proud of myself for realizing a dream I've had for a long time and also thriving in the first few years of a significant change in my lifestyle.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Figuring out how to run a business on your own can be daunting. The financials, the socials, how to find clients, how to make sure you are charging what you're worth, and delivering your best quality services to your clients. There's so much to figure out. Making a plan and chipping away, step by step, until you see progress can sometimes feel like a fruitless endeavor. Making myself keep going was honestly a challenge at times, but I'm so glad I did.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Find someone who is already successful at the thing you want to do to learn from. Make sure you actually like and resonate with their work and their ethos. Ask what they did to get started and what practices have helped them grow and thrive in the market you are trying to break into. Work with a coach or a mentor if you can. Accept that you are not going to be successful overnight, but embrace that you are in it for the long haul. And make quality advertising for yourself. For me, this meant having a professional branding photo shoot, investing in a new camera and course on photography and videography, taking courses on video editing and graphic design on Skillshare, and creating a more professional environment to film and record voice over in. I made my own at-home recording studio, and when I create images, videos, or audio to use as part of my branding and advertising, I make sure that they are of stellar quality and competitive with the best people out there doing what I do. It feels like SO much, but you get there one day and one step at a time.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.jennymcniven.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennymcnivencreative/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmcniven/
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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