Funny thing about time. In some respects it moves pretty fast, while in other respects it’s smokin’ fast.

Two years, 13,000 tweets, a few hundred blog posts and lots of coffee ago, I started bWEST Interactive (now bWEST Communications Inc). What an amazing two years it has been. I used to tell people I was a ‘chicken entrepreneur’ because I had always wanted to have my own business but the fear of economic insecurity held me back. Now I wonder why I waited so long.

I wrote a “bWEST Turns ONE” post last year and I’m still debating writing this one. If I do it will be the last birthday post, perhaps until our 10 year anniversary. I’m wondering what I can say about two years of business that will be of value to you the reader versus the obvious – here are all our wonderful accomplishments, horn blowing.

So here are a few things I’ve learned about business since starting one:

1. Just Do It!  Nike nailed it a long time ago with that one. Stop thinking, planning, writing, wondering, hoping, whatever. Make a decision, act on it, follow through, repeat. I was fortunate to hook up with a great business coach early on (Brent Hammond) who helped me with a few key decisions. If you can swing it I strongly recommend working with a coach. 

1. Get Out There. Which is another way of saying, network, network and then network some more. Get involved, join groups, go to events, start your own groups & events. I was already a member of the Social Media Club and right away I joined; West Shore Chamber of Commerce, VBN, BNI, VIATeC and a few others. I was at some sort of networking event at least twice a week in the first year. Tweeting, blogging and email is great, but there’s no substitute for meeting people ‘in real life’ (IRL).

1. Listen. Luckily this comes natural to me. Many people still think social media is about talking. That’s only half of it (maybe less) and not the most important half. I can’t emphasize enough how much opportunity there is in listening, both in person and on social media channels. Listen to what people (clients & prospects) are saying, not what you think they’re saying or should be saying.

1. Respond, in a timely manner. I cannot believe how much this very simple and basic business principle gets ignored. Companies invest so much money, time and effort into marketing and trying to acquire new customers only to make them wait for a response to a question or a request to purchase. If someone contacts you with a question, comment, request for proposal/estimate, whatever – get back to them right away. The ’24 hour rule’ no longer applies. If you wait 24 hours you may get the following response; “thanks but I’ve already contracted with [enter your competitor here].”

1. Gratitude. Our parents taught us to say thank-you, but it’s more than that. I’m truly grateful for every client and I let them know. Sometimes it’s verbal but more often it also includes some sort of gift (a book, a card, a gift certificate or a lunch). I love purchasing client products as gifts for other clients. Some favourites are Rocky Mountain Soap, Bernard Callebaut chocolates, Mayfair gift cards and anything from Liquor Plus. I also love pulling together contests and parties that feature a number of clients, like the Olympic Gold Medal Hockey contest we did last year.

Thank You
So thank you to everyone we have come in contact with these last two years, whether you are a client, colleague, partner, peer or competitor. We grow and get better with every interaction.

Now we’d like to hear from you. If you started your own business, what lessons did you learn in the first few years.