Angie Mattson, Mattson Business Services
http://www.defineyourday.com, www.mattsonbusiness.com
About Angie:
Mattson Business Services provides writing and editing expertise, creative organizing solutions, and project assistance for a variety of consultants and small businesses. Angie has recently launched a monthly e-zine called Supporting Solopreneurs for small business support professionals who want the freedom to define their days by being their own boss!
What was your initial dream for your business or lifestyle (or both!)?
When I began seriously considering starting my own business, I was sure I wanted more control of my time. I worked with a mentor for a year and she kept asking me over and over, “What would your day look like? What would you want to be doing? What do you enjoy most? What is it you really want?” Finally we both realized that core of every answer I gave contained three elements – freedom, flexibility and variety. My work has evolved to include professional organizing, administrative and project assistance and freelance business and travel writing.
Can you explain the fear and perseverance it took for you to bring your dream to reality?
I am a planner, I want to be a know-it-all and I want to be sure that what I’m doing is going to work. I call myself the “safety girl.” It was a true belief in myself and my abilities that allowed me to quit my job and start my own business. But in true “safety-girl” fashion, I kept working part-time for one of my former employers for a year before I cut them loose and was truly a full-time solopreneur. I persevered because the more freedom, flexibility and variety I found each day, the more I wanted. Those three things keep me going even today and I’ve been in business for five years!
Now that you are either working on your dream or living your dream, is it the same vision you originally had or has it changed along the way?
My business has definitely changed along the way, and probably for the better. Originally I had planned to work from home, but for the first three years I worked 90 percent of the time at clients’ home offices. They needed help that a virtual assistant couldn’t provide. Although it wasn’t what I’d planned, I learned volumes working for these solopreneurs – both about how to run my business and how to problem solve for a variety of clients. Between writing, professional organizing and administrative assisting, I’m working about 60/40 from my home office and my clients’ home offices.
When was a defining moment of clarity in your journey?
A defining moment was my finally understanding that 20 percent of my clients provide 80 percent of my income. Clients that are difficult, reactionary or who complain about my rates aren’t worth it. By cutting them loose, I created more space for the clients who are truly a dream to work with – my Ideal Clients. Honestly though, I struggled with getting rid of some of those clients who were difficult because I had developed such a long-term working relationship with them. Cutting loose the clients I like personally will always be a very difficult business decision.
What motivates you to keep building, growing or pushing for your dream?
I keep building and growing my business because I thrive on the freedom, flexibility and variety. I am passionate about defining my days exactly how I choose and I love working with an interesting array of clients. I am starting to share my passion for solopreneurship by encouraging others to consider it as well. That’s why I started www.defineyourday.com – to reach other people, especially women, who have such talent and skill but are so underutilized and underappreciated in a J-O-B. By being your own boss, you are chief problem-solver, organizer, and definer of your days – and clients hugely appreciate your talents and efforts!
