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

Jen, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I registered as an LLC on February 28, 2022. One week later I gave my boss three months’ notice. And on June 6, I went to work in my guest bedroom for my first day at Marit Digital. If this all sounds well-organized, it was, and that’s because this idea of having my own business had been in my head for many, many years.

As an undergrad, I took my first job working at NC State University’s IT Help Desk. For twenty years I worked in central IT, in various roles. As those working in higher ed can tell you, it often functions like a start-up, where anyone who has a skill uses it, even if it’s not quite in the job description. Over the years, I took on lots of different challenges. And as anyone in higher ed can tell you, the pay wasn’t always great. So I started to do contract work on the side, basically anything around web hosting, design, and development. This went well and I stayed busy with one or two projects in my spare time bringing in extra money. In 2009 I registered the domain maritdesign.com and continued picking up work. But I never actually took the next step of setting up an LLC, or making it official.

Part of me deeply wishes that I had incorporated all those years ago. Even if I didn’t quit my job at that time, I feel like being official might have given me the encouragement to take that leap much sooner. If nothing else, the mentality of being a business owner, and all the unique pressures that entails would have given me 10+ years of trials before I transitioned to full-time. A good friend of mine started her own company around the same time and – through circumstance more than choice – made the transition to full-time very early. Her business is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and she has confidence and knowledge that I envy. So if I have a message it’s: don’t wait. Start down the path.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

As I said, I started in higher ed as an undergrad. I continued working while completing my M.S. in Technical Communication. I did general IT support and orientation. I taught classes on web basics, WordPress, Photoshop, and usability. I did web design, development, and support, eventually moving to the team lead and manager. I became ServiceNow Service Manager for the campus. Along the way, I did conference and project management, billing, communications and social media, graphic design, and many other random tasks that needed doing.

In 2021, I left the university. I spent ten months at a digital agency as a Senior Project Manager. While I worked with some really cool clients, alongside phenomenally-talented people, I missed DOING things instead of organizing and planning them. I wanted to get back to all the different kinds of tasks I did for the university, in support of the community. And I think it was in the back of my mind – even when I left the university – that I wanted to try my own thing. All those years of solving problems and getting things done were quietly preparing me for having my own company.

Marit Digital is focused on technology support and solutions for small businesses and teams. However, because I have experience with so many technologies and tools, I’m still honing in on what that means. My current client work covers branding, analytics, web and domain strategy, and ServiceNow. There are so many tools that a company may need to utilize but are lacking in-house expertise, strategy, and staffing. I’m hoping to fill that gap, offering support, with an eye to security and efficiency.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When I started I imagined that I would work with people from anywhere. In my previous job, I had colleagues all over the world and indeed, none of my clients were even in my timezone! But I pretty quickly realized that I get a lot of joy out of supporting the people and small businesses in my community. At this point almost all my clients are local, and I’ve started open office hours to provide tech support and answer questions in person at a nearby coworking space.

I’m fortunate that I picked up a few early clients organically. After a few months, I noticed that pretty much all my clients were people that I knew – a colleague from a former job, my former career coach, and a client I’d worked with 10+ years ago. Initially, this really discouraged me. I feel like I only had clients because I knew these people and this didn’t seem like a sustainable business model. But eventually, I realized that I have these clients in part because of 10+ years of already doing this work; if my network and my reputation, are bringing in work, that’s something to celebrate. Plus I do better and feel better about myself and my company when I meet new people and make real connections. That’s where I’m seeing potential new work, and it’s really encouraging both professionally and personally since I have a solution that feels right to me.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Since I’m still a new company this is a work in progress, but it’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to. In my past jobs, my client relationships often lasted for years and were really genuine connections. In higher ed, you run into your clients in committee meetings or at the Student Center. I sent some of them Christmas cards. So my instinct is for authentic connection, even though I realize not all clients will work that way.

I feel the best way to foster brand loyalty is to be responsive and deliver on your client’s needs. Even if YOU can’t be the one to offer the service, helping them find the right resources is the best way to build a positive relationship of trust and partnership.

I also believe that communication is of utmost importance, so I’ve been focused on making sure that’s working properly. When I start work with a client I have an onboarding process that asks for preferred methods and timing of communication, identifying key contacts, and understanding how engaged the client wants to be. And at least twice a year I have an assessment form that checks in on the project(s) to make sure I’m not missing anything and to step back for a bigger picture of the work we’re doing. This is also where I ask for testimonials. I haven’t actually offboarded a client yet, but when the time comes that has a process too: lots of documentation for the client, secure hand-off of account information, collecting feedback, and staying connected.

One thing I have not done is start a newsletter or email list. Since I’ve been so selective with my marketing strategies I didn’t want to start something I wasn’t prepared to jump into with both feet. But lately, I’ve been looking for that outlet for some of my tips and reminders and I think a newsletter will be one of my initiatives for the new year. I’m excited about what’s to come!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maritdigital.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marit-digital/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maritdigital