Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea England . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am extremely happy as a business owner. I resigned from my Federal Government career job mid pandemic to pursue my entrepreneurial journey. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I never think about going back or consider having a regular job. I felt like a prisoner at my last employer. Since I have become a full-time entrepreneur, I have been able to think creatively and logically, spend more time doing more of what of love, been able to be a more fun mom to my son and living the life I want to. Being a business owner has its ups and downs, but this is what I was destined for. A regular job was not my calling.

Andrea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Andrea England, owner of The Business Connect Hub and AE Business Consulting. The Business Connect Hub is a business development center + business venue where business owners are welcome to host business events, seminars, workshops, meetings, etc. Within The Business Connect Hub is AE Business Consulting (in house consultant) that provides business consulting, development and marketing services. Our core clientele is small businesses. We have been able to assist over 234 small business owners with start-up, development and marketing services.

I am most proud of my ability to scale within two years. September 2020 was my grand opening for The Business Connect Hub in Charles Village. 10 months later, I signed my lease for my second location in Parkville, MD. During this time, I also submitted my resignation a day before signing my lease. I knew I was destined to be a full-time entrepreneur as God placed a second location in my hands not even a year later.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Access to capital as a business owner is hard. There are always lenders shutting doors in your face and discouraging you from wanting to apply for funding. Therefore, I used my personal savings and retirement money. I believe in myself, and my dreams and I was willing to risk it all for a dream only I can see. Every dollar that I have put into my business came from earning it and working hard for it. Even recently, I honestly applied for a business loan since I was able to now show that I scaled my business with my own money, and I have cash flow. I was denied and advised that the entity doesn’t provide loans to business consultants. So, here I am again, working hard and will continue to do so that I may continue to grow.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is authenticity, effective communication, real results and quick turnaround. All my clients can agree to all the above.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.thebusinessconnecthub.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusinessconnecthub/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebusinessconnecthub/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?heroEntityKey=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAADz52fYBmjJd6WAVk295Pg_RJZzGHRvMQz0&keywords=the%20business%20connect%20hub&origin=RICH_QUERY_SUGGESTION&position=0&searchId=36ee61a0-d1b1-44cf-93df-88f5bc5f1e4c&sid=S~W

Image Credits
@JamesJones