For this customer spotlight, we focus on Jeremy Turner, owner of J Turner Solutions. You can find Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyRTurner.
What do you do for a living, and why did you make the jump to self-employment?
In broad terms, I am a web consultant. Over the past 10 years, friends and family have started businesses that needed a web presence and they turned to me for help. Shortly after relocating to Oregon I created J Turner Solutions.
By freelancing, I am able to spend the mornings working on projects and then in the afternoon I take care of my 4-month-old daughter.
What’s a big challenge you’ve had with running your own business, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge for me so far has been managing the day to day operations of the business. For the first few months, I spent more time tracking hours, invoicing and finding new clients than I did actually working on the projects I had. It wasn't until I found tools like Harpoon that helped me focus and grow my business.
What advice would you give to those who are just starting out on the journey of running their own businesses?
The best advice I could give is "not everything is forever." When you first get started, you will most likely have a small budget to work with and that is ok, it is not forever.
Set benchmarks for revenue. When you meet those benchmarks purchase a tool that will save you time and replace that time with work that provides more revenue. After a few months, you will have the right tools to really scale your business.
Where would you like your business to be three years from now?
It would be great if I could be doing the same thing as I am doing right now, for more people and making more money. I think with time that will happen. I will get better at what I do and be able to bring on bigger clients.
What quality, habit, or decision has contributed to the success of your business?
To be honest, the success of my business today can be attributed to the connections I have made over the last 15 years. The majority of my clients have come from a network of friends, family members and fraternity brothers that I have connected with before I started by own business.
Every week I am contacted by someone else from the past that needs help online.
About Jeremy
Jeremy Turner is the owner of J Turner Solutions in Salem, OR. Learn more about Jeremy by following @JeremyRTurner on Twitter.
