Motivational Monday: Interview with Trudy Suggs
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of “meeting” Trudy Suggs, a fellow writer, through a comment she left on this blog. We started emailing back and forth and I discovered that she has an extremely successful business. Like many of us, she`s found that chasing an active baby puts a bit of a crimp in the work at home dream, but she`s enjoying life with her daughter and making it work.
1. What is your business?
I own a writing, editing and design company that has served over 600 clients since 2003. A great majority of our clients are returning clients, which translates to probably thousands of projects.
2. How did you get started?
By accident. My educational training and early career was in nonprofit administration, but I had always written as a way to make extra cash. I also had grown up always editing my parents’ friends’ work, and had written for school papers and the like.
In 2000, after taking a year off to travel, I took a job as the editor of a community newspaper. When I quit that job, I had absolutely no idea of what I would do next in life. But, as fate would have it, things fell into place. The very next day, I received an e-mail from someone who I had worked with during my time as editor. He asked if I’d edit his book. Soon after that, people began contacting me to see if I was willing to do work for them; they had wanted to ask me in the past, but knew I was extremely busy.
And my current career was launched. I had absolutely no intentions of owning a business; I always thought I’d simply be a freelance writer. One day, I was talking to my mother, who is also a small business owner, and telling her of how I was working with over 50 clients, she immediately urged me to create a limited liability company for legal reasons. It was at that point I began to realize just how I was actually running a business. I had already started to outsource work, so I decided to go ahead and do what Mom said. That, to this day, was the best professional advice I got from anyone.
3. What mistakes did you make when you were starting out? What did you learn from them?
In the first couple of years, I charged way too little. This was a mistake for two reasons: I obviously didn’t get the income I deserved, and they thought I wasn’t as good as I was, because my rates were too low. I had been worried I’d lose clients. I also had absolutely zero experience in making profits prior to that, other than helping my mother out; as I said, my career had primarily been in nonprofits up until 2003. It was only when I took a business course provided to people who already owned small businesses at my community college that I realized everything I was doing was absolutely on track – except my rates. I spoke with my teacher, and he said, “Look, Trudy. That old saying of 80% of your business coming from 20% of your clients is true. If they really like your work, they won’t leave you. Raise your prices. You won’t lose a single client. I promise.”
And he was right.
4. How long have you been working from home? (was this your first business or have you had others where you worked from home?)
It’s been about six years now. I’ve always been an Internet-savvy individual, and worked for various companies doing various things. For instance, in graduate school, I worked a few hours a week as a technical support representative for AOL; this was back when AOL charged by the hour. I got paid by getting a free AOL account. Back then, this was a good deal. I’ve used the Internet since 1989, when I was on Q-Link (the predecessor to AOL). I even took some of my college classes online before it was even a common thing, back in 1993 – I became sick with mono in the middle of the fall semester, so I asked my professors if they’d let me finish my courses up via fax and e-mail. They were game. I’ve also taught online writing courses for about six years.
5. What are your tricks for balancing work, kids and household chores?
I recommend finding an absolutely wonderful partner/spouse who is willing to pull his/her weight. I also had to, as my daughter became more active and needed more attention, sit down with my husband and take a hard look at what I was willing to do for my company. It was after a lot of discussion, some tears on my part, and mutual brainstorming that we agreed I would watch my daughter during the day while my husband works, and then work at nighttimes while my husband watches her. It has been a major adjustment for both of us, but I am so honored to have this opportunity.
Another trick is something I’m fortunate to have: self-discipline. I’m a very organized person by nature, and self-discipline naturally comes with that. Without that, I don’t think I’d be able to meet my clients’ deadlines and my own deadlines.
6. How many children do you have? How old are they?
I have a 9.5-month-old, and another one due in May.
7. When do you usually work?
I used to work 9 to 5 daily, but now that’s changed, of course. I work from about 4:30 p.m. until whenever I’m done – usually about 10 p.m., sometimes midnight. And then on weekends, if I can, I try to work, too.
8. What is the best part of being a mompreneur? And the worst?
The best part is I get to do what I love.
The worst has been dealing with people’s traditional perspectives of what a woman needs to do. So many people think I’m a housewife, and when I tell them I run a company, they give me puzzled looks. I think this has a lot to do with where I am, geographically – I’m originally from Chicago, and people there don’t blink when I say that. They think it’s absolutely normal. But I live in a small town where a lot of people still don’t have e-mail, so they often will give me quizzical looks when I try to explain what I do.
And of course, the hardest part is not being able to sleep when I want!
In all seriousness, I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life – which is a major statement, given how nomadic I am by nature and how I like changing my activities and interests. And I think that’s testament to how much I love what I do.
9. What are your plans for the future of your business?
I do not want my company to change the way it is currently, because it’s such a fun company to work with. I also love the daily challenges of my jobs. I do hope, once my children have started school, to determine whether I’d like T.S. Writing Services to expand or to stay exactly how it is now.
10. What advice would you give new work at home moms?
Be realistic about your own limitations and capabilities. Find a support system. And always, always put yourself first. With a healthy, happy mother, you have a healthy, happy family. It seems as if you take care of yourself, everything else falls into place naturally.
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