Too often in our society, people picture men in their heads when they hear words like, “boss”, “entrepreneur”, or “CEO”. Being a small business owner has put me in touch with so many successful female business owners and entrepreneurs that when I hear these words, I often picture a woman or I just don’t assume anything at all. Women are obviously just as capable as men when it comes to the business world and it is high time that women business owners and entrepreneurs are more visible in the media in our society. This is where the idea for Women in Business was born. Women in Business is a monthly feature that highlights female entrepreneurs and business owners. Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to learn more about small businesses in various fields, but it is a great shopping guide for supporting small businesses.
An Interview with Bobbi from Ready To Blog
Tell us a little bit about your business. When did you officially start your business? What exactly do you do and how long have you been doing it?
Ready to Blog is a one-stop shop for all things branding and web design! I create pretty pieces of internet real-estate and create targeted and cohesive brands for my clients. I also specialize in telling impossibly bad jokes, but I don’t charge for that service! I started Ready to Blog officially in 2011, but I’ve been dabbling in my passion since 2009!
What is your favorite thing about owning your own business?
I know that the popular answer is, “Every day is a pajama party! I can work from the couch!” For me, though, the best thing about owning my own business is how good it feels to launch a project and bring a business or a piece of a business to life. It’s incredible to help someone polish up their dream. I wouldn’t give that up for anything!
What are some of the challenges you experience from working at home?
It’s hard to say “no”. It’s really hard. Because…well, I work where I sleep and relax, so the lines are blurred between “work time” and “home time”. I’m constantly working on shutting down and being “unavailable” in an effort to sharpen up those lines a bit. I did recently convert a room in our flat into an office, so I can leave work a bit more easily than before!
What was the best piece of advice you were given pertaining to your business?
Oh my gosh, none really. I kind of went straight into all of this without asking anyone what they thought. If I had though and someone said, “Don’t do it,” I wouldn’t have listened to them, but I would have counted that as pretty sound advice! It’s not something to enter into lightly and I’m glad that I did every day, but voices of reason are never a bad thing with which to surround yourself!
What goals do you have for your business over the next three years?
I’d love to expand the umbrella. Working with a team is one of the things that I miss the most about 9-5 life, so if I could expand Ready to Blog into a multi-pronged, multi-person operation, that would be fantastic! I’m almost there, but it’s hard to let go of certain things, so I’ll hold on tight for a bit longer!
How do you define success as a business owner?
How well you sleep at night. Did you do good work? Did you deliver what you said you would? Are you authentic and risky when you need to be and cautious when you need to be? Then you did good.
What/who inspires you and your work?
I’m the worst at answering this question! Obviously as a designer I’m inspired by all things visual, but I can’t pinpoint one person. That’s probably terrible, but I don’t like to let myself get pulled in a direction by outside influences, I like to drive from within. I let my goals drive me more than looking up to an “ideal”.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start a small business?
Don’t do it! Kidding! Do it. Even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else. Don’t do it just to do it, though. If you’re convicted and you believe in your service/product, go for it. If you’re in it just to make money? Keep your day job. It won’t be worth it.
Thanks for having me, Charisma!!
You can find Bobbi here: Ready To Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Today I’m Bobbi
Photos by Claudia Rose Carter