Guestblog: How I started my business
It all began in October 2006 when my children were aged 13 and 4. I was teaching IT and Business Studies in a secondary school, hating the paperwork but loving the student interaction, hating the lack of freedom but loving the ability to shape young people’s lives. I had accepted a part-time position, teaching just 3 days per week and with my other 2 days I started training adults in Microsoft products as a freelance trainer. I had also moved my older son to a private school due to problems with our local school, and now had to find the funds to pay for it! 
During a goal setting workshop with Anthony Robbins, I established I wanted to work for myself and set up my own training company. >From this moment on I was possessed with intense desire to achieve my goal. I researched my market and my competition extensively, created a website, learned marketing techniques and networked online with other business owners until 2am in the morning for weeks at a time. I devoured books, ebooks, business magazines and listened to inspirational speakers. And all of this on a budget of less than £500! It wasn’t long before I had to quit teaching as the business took off so quickly, and left in April 2007 to concentrate on my business fulltime. I was now wholly responsible for generating enough income to make sure my family didn’t starve! It was a terrifying but intensely satisfying time. I worked long hours, but was still always careful to make sure we ate as a family every evening. Thank goodness for after school clubs and that my younger son loved going to them!
I expanded fast, from one training centre to four within a few months using web marketing techniques. I learned SEO, AdWords and sought information on low-cost marketing techniques from blogs worldwide. At points I had nearly the whole Google front page for terms such as “Excel Course in Bristol” which led to a huge number of corporate clients. Careful customer care policies meant they continually came back and booked with us repeatedly.
It wasn’t long before I realised that the web marketing knowledge I now possessed would help other business owners make money from their websites. So in February 2008, I created a series of courses and delivered them publicly and onsite at client premises. I loved being able to directly impact small business owners sales and success! In August 2008 we recorded an AdWords course and released it as a series of DVDs. This was a really successful move, and I followed it by releasing a book called “Successful Google AdWords Strategies” in April 2009. This definitely helped me to build my credibility and establish myself as a serious web marketer.
I rapidly started to realise that web marketing was where my heart lay, and throughout 2008 I was soon spending 80% of my time on courses , consultancy, and managing client campaigns for them. In early 2009 I set up Marketing By Web and handed over running of my training company to my Mum, who owns and runs it today.
In November 2009 my baby daughter Charlotte was born. I took several months “off “ while pregnant and when Charlotte was first born, working on a number of other smaller web marketing projects such as recruiting Avon representatives and working with a handful of existing clients. It wasn’t long after Charlotte was born before the desire to grow my business started to build within me. We now have 23 clients who we are billing for AdWords Management and SEO on a monthly retainer, versus the five I was working with in the latter half of last year. Not bad considering I’ve only been “back to work” since March.
So I’m now working pretty much fulltime while my husband is looking after our children. I feel really lucky to be in this situation as it means I can concentrate on expanding the business, while being assured that Charlotte is well cared for. I also choose to come into work later, or come home early which is fantastic as I can see Charlotte whenever I choose. Freedom is very important to me!
Along the way I’ve learned some really hard lessons. The first was to manage cash flow carefully, avoiding fixed overheads whenever possible. I now use temporary contracts and outsource whenever possible, having learned a hard lesson from having to make staff redundant last year. A very powerful lesson for me has been to look after my health carefully, as I have a tendency to get lost in my work and work very long hours. I’ve also been privileged to learn that the best way to grow a business is through building a great network of advocates or referral partners.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to ask for help if you need it, and not to suffer alone. I feel extremely lucky to have a fantastic network of Ecademy Blackstar colleagues, a great business coach, and most essentially, a very supportive husband.
Claire Jarret
Claire is a web marketer and adwords expert
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3 Responses to Guestblog: How I started my business
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Thank you for sharing your story and well done on your huge success I am currently in the building awareness stage with the long hours and late nights but I am determined it will work. Your experience is an inspiration to all.
Thanks for sharing with us Claire, much appreciated. I have a 9 year age gap with the kids and it's both a blessing and a curse at times!
I was particularly pleased to see how you have continued learning throughout your career, AND managed to write a book as well – very inspirational.
Thanks for guest blogging for us.
Good information and thank you very much for sharing it because this is something I was looking for.