2023 is a milestone year for me.
I started Quality Service Marketing 35 years ago after working in bank marketing for more than 10 years.
Going out on my own was scary, but job security was relative as the bank I worked for was being acquired by a larger bank and I had survived a previous merger. After extensive contemplation and networking, I made the decision to become a solopreneur in 1988.
Here are excerpts from notes I made when considering that momentous change. In working for myself, I wanted:
- Less frustration from working in large organizations in an industry I was not happy with. (Reminder to self: Yes, it really was that bad!)
- More control over my career
- More opportunity for greater achievement
- More time and flexibility to be with my family.
It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Among the challenges I faced was the reality that “everyday you’re self-employed, you wake up unemployed.” This pressure was more than offset by the fact that I worked for someone I respected: me. If you worked for even one bad boss, you understand how empowering it is to work on your own.
I also found myself in an uphill battle to build a business fostering workplace engagement with internal marketing, advocating for employee and customer satisfaction that was considered a “warm & fuzzy” concept back then (i.e., not very marketable). I persevered … and am gratified that the work I do still matters.
Happy 35th Anniversary, Quality Service Marketing!