Today’s Lessons in Entrepreneurship brings us Jen Sukhan, owner of Sukhan Social Media a full-service social media management, engagement and coaching company.

Jen has a passion for whisking away a business owner’s overwhelm and stress, it makes her light up when she can give business owners their time back/allow them to stay in their zone of genius, and let her do what she does best, make them visible. 

Read on to learn:

• A fun fact about Jen that she ties into her brand
• Jen’s love of coaching 
• How having a solid strategy in place will allow your business to grow and MORE 

What is your main product or service and why are you so passionate about it?

I give business owners their time back, all while easing stress and overwhelm. When they light up because someone says they found the business online, it’s the most amazing feeling. She knows that it is a rare case when a business owner’s money is made from their social media presence alone and it is often an after thought, but crucial part of doing business, especially in 2020. So when she takes over, and gives a strategy that helps business owner’s engage, and secure clients everyone is happy.

“I love coaching business owners as well,” Jen says. 

When Jen first started out she did something not everyone can afford to do, she spent 5 figures in her first year, putting all the pieces together. She realizes how fortunate she was to be able to do this and has now prides herself on helping business owners show up consistently, get clear on their messaging and lay the foundations so they can build connections and secure clients through social media. 

She has a soft spot for ladies new to business and female owned startups. “I know how hard it is to start out, and how many times you want to throw in the towel.”

What is one trait of a successful entrepreneur?

Adaptability.

“The key is to set you up so that things are manageable where you can show up consistently because no matter how big or small the step, forward is still forward.”

When someone says – ‘I want to be an entrepreneur’ it always comes with the warning – entrepreneurship is like a rollercoaster ride, you need to be ready for the constant valley’s and peaks.

2020 has been coined the year of the pivot by many, but as entrepreneurs we are well versed in pivoting – although admittedly this year has brought on a bit more than we had anticipated. As entrepreneurs we learn to assess situations and make decisions at the drop of a hat, as Jen says, “We learn to be adaptable and have the ability to change, having an open mind is key, and realizing there is more than one way to do something, there is not a one size fits all solution has been key!”

What is your favorite free or inexpensive resource that has made the biggest impact on your business and why?

Instagram is by far my favourite free resource to use. It’s all about building relationships and connections which is exactly what business is about. We need to start with human connection because you never know who knows who. I really focus my time on building relationships with my community because when you give to people, you’ll inherently get more sales and more money because you’re establishing your reputation and those connections will serve you long term.

And I have to agree Jen and I connected on Instagram for the same reason, I wanted to build relationships with my community and she posted a story that hit home for me.

“Canva (free or paid version) is another great tool for showing up on social media.” Jen says. It’s important to showcase who you are, what your business stands for etc. Having a cohesive brand allows your community to get to know you and when you tie in consistent branding and message people already know what they can expect from you and start to recognize your content and become loyal fans before they even see the name. Canva makes it easy to show up on social media, tie those brand elements in without having to be a graphic designer.

What is your morning routine?

I jump out of bed (I never hit the snooze button), once I’m up I’m up and ready to start the day. I always start out with my vanilla latte before heading down to my #babecave (aka my office).

From there it’s a review of my day, check in with clients and my team. The days vary after that depending on what deadlines I have coming up.

I also take my healthy seriously because if I’m not well I’m of no use to anyone so I usually have a homemade bran muffin and I apply my Young Living oils and get my diffusers going throughout the house (including one in the #babecave) I’ve struggled with my health most of my life and since introducing more natural things I’ve definitely been able to keep my wellness up and boosted my immunity.

How are you currently marketing your business?

I currently market my business organically on Instagram. I don’t pay for ads, I use a very targeted strategy to connect to my ideal audience and build those relationships which brings me a lot of business.

I primarily work with female entrepreneurs and that is who my messaging is geared towards; I also have clients who are men and bigger established businesses that I work with. Instagram the prime spot for where people find and reach out for social media help.

What have you tried in marketing in the past that didn’t work?

Trying to speak to everyone.

I always picture it as someone on the street yelling. Everyone looks around to see what’s happening but nobody knows if it’s actually directed towards them. I view that as a missed opportunity. When you can really focus in on your niche and be specific to the pain points of your consumer, that’s when the magic happens. It’s not to say that you won’t be approached by other business (I work with all sorts of people) but if drill down and cast a smaller net you’ll definitely be able to get more traction then trying to be all things to all people.

What’s the hardest part about being an entrepreneur and how are you overcoming it?

One of the biggest challenges for me is finding the balance of work/home life balance.

I love what I do so for me it doesn’t feel like work and I can spend 12-14 hours a day working no problem. Because I do social media I’m on Instagram all the time so I’ve had to be more structured and intentional with my time and mindful to put my phone down and be present in the moment.

Something that can help with that is setting your phone to have limits so you can’t access your apps from certain times and putting in boundaries around when you reply to client inquiries. Setting boundaries with your clients is key so they don’t expect an immediate answer and what days they can expect a response is key. Office hours can be very helpful. If I’m home and working for a long period of time, I may spend more time on there but then when I’m out and about with my husband, I put my phone away and don’t worry about it as much. It’s figuring out what balance works for you that still meets the needs of your clients and allows you to live your life. I would say most people start a business because not only do they want financial freedom but time freedom.

What is a piece of advice you’d give someone new or struggling in business?

Keep going. There will be days where things will rock you to the core and you’ll want to give up. Then there will be days where everything goes smoothly and it’s the best day ever. If something is challenging, learn to step back and take a rest from it rather than give up completely because you never how close you are to actually getting things set up in the way you want and having success with it.

Find someone who has the results you want with your business. Having a mentor can be very beneficial to guiding you on your way to success. It’s important to ask questions and be sure the person is the right fit for you and can deliver on the area you’re looking to grow in. Sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know or we have things in place but the order is wrong. Think about a phone number, if it’s in the right order you reach the person immediately but if the digits are scrambled and you have to try to piece it together it could take forever to do. Find a way to get those foundations set up from someone who has walked the path you’re on and get some type of guidance so you have a plan that you can focus on and implement.