Hello, From Michigan

[mhovingh]

I have been browsing this forum for a little while now and decided it was time to register and start contributing.

A little history, the first "business" I did was a partnership DBA with a friend, back when I was 16, doing web design. Business was in quotes there because it was really just something fun to do. We both liked the idea of making some money, and didn't take it seriously. At that time, I had no idea what it really took to make a business work, but we did do a few jobs and made some money from it over a few months time.

The second business I started in 2005 was just a sole-proprietorship, and ran it for a little over 5 years. I sold software for two overseas companies, handling their European and North American sales and customer service. It was a small niche market, but I made a small living doing it and it gave me a chance to really get into web technology again. I learned a whole lot about customer service and how to use technology effectively, both to provide better customer service and to reduce labor cost. I still didn't really have a good grasp on running a business though, recognizing that while I was doing some things right, I was missing out on a lot of knowledge and experience still in some areas.

I started doing some consulting for businesses in the areas I excelled in, and spent the rest of my time self-educating in the areas where I wanted to be more comprehensive. I decided in January of this year that I wanted to offer more than just consulting, having multiple related services under one roof that a business would normally would have to hire multiple employees or contractors to do. I want to make some things easier for businesses, help them make better decisions through information, and take care of work that is much easier for someone who specializes in it and knows which common mistakes to avoid making.

That is where I am now, having a business plan in place, with most of the preparation work done, for a business that I believe I will enjoy. I am looking forward to getting to know some of you, gain more knowledge, and am really interested in picking the brains of some of you business owners to help my business deliver its services in ways that are best suited to the needs of businesses like yours.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum movingh. I'm glad you decided the time was right to join and say hi. Sounds like you've been an entrepreneur all your life, even if that first business was more for fun than profit. What kind of consulting services are you planning on offering? I'm guessing they'll be technology related given your history, but it sounds like you might be expanding on the basics and offering a bit more.

Looking forward to getting to know you and thanks for joining the community.

[KristineS]

Welcome to the forum from another Michigander. Sounds like you have some experience in running your own business, which is always a plus. I look forward to hearing about your further adventures in the business world.

[mhovingh]

Thank you both for the welcome!


What kind of consulting services are you planning on offering? I'm guessing they'll be technology related given your history, but it sounds like you might be expanding on the basics and offering a bit more.

My goal with this business is not specifically to offer consulting services, but to fill a void I have seen with the consulting I did part-time. No matter what industry a business was in, there was something that always came up over and over in any situation where the business was going to act on the information and advice I gave them: "Who do I get to do that for me?"

Rather than referring them to someone(s) that I loosely know, or just offer them information to help them with contracting or hiring for all the different pieces that make up the whole of their needs, I want to organize a group of businesses and individuals who can do what is needed, with myself taking care of the managing, so the business can focus on what they know. I want to give the business an option to let me use my expertise beyond just consulting, removing the headache associated with hiring or contracting for work that the business knows little or nothing about.


Welcome to the forum from another Michigander.
Glad to hear from someone else from Michigan so quickly! I haven't been up there in quite a while, but I have always enjoyed heading up to the Traverse City area. I live down a ways from you, in the Grand Haven/Holland area.

[vangogh]

That's an interesting business model. I assume you won't be keeping all these groups of business on the payroll and will act more as a go between. You'd get the work and I'm guessing become the project manager. Would your client and contacts ever communicate or would everything go through you?

I ask because I have some experience from the other side. There have been a few business over the years who hired me to the work they were selling to their clients. Usually there's no contact between myself and the actual client, which I presume is so they and I can't work out a deal and cut out the middle man. At least we'd be less likely to since I usually do have the client's contact information as it needs to become part of the website.

In some respects not having to deal directly with the client can be good for me since it removes some things that make it harder for me to work. On the other hand it also means I can't directly ask questions and I've found some things are lost in the translation from client to project manager to me and here and there a project probably didn't turn out as well as it could have. There are pros and cons to the arrangement from my end of it and I assume it's the same on the other end and in between.

[cbscreative]

I'm a bit late to the party, but as one Michigander to another (along with Kristine), welcome.