We recently connected with Rhonda Crowder and have shared our conversation below.
Rhonda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.
If I could start over, because I had less clients and more time back then, I would spend just as much energy working on developing my business model, foundation and structure as I did working on my craft, delivery of services and client satisfaction. Although I strongly believe the latter is just as important, the former is what contributes most to business growth and scalability. Clients and their needs constantly evolve and if you’re evolving with them as opposed to them evolving with you, you can find yourself in a dangerous place. Plus, clients can be fickle, here today and gone tomorrow. Also, if you do manage to survive with a weak business model, foundation and structure, you’ll eventually need to back pedal to do that work in order to level up. Plus, it get’s even harder to do the more you prolong doing it. I think there’s way more available resources to help entrepreneurs better understand this aspect of owning/running business now than when I started.
Rhonda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
At the core, I am a writer. I hold an English degree from Cleveland State University with concentration in creative writing, editing and publishing. Although I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and aspirations, I enter my degree program focused on the dream of writing books, plays and movies. I remained very tunnel vision on that goal until after I graduated and needed a job to support myself. At that point, I ended up in journalism – working for the largest African American weekly newspaper in the state of Ohio. To back up a bit, I got my first taste of journalism while at CSU. I worked as the arts and entertainment editor of our student publication. But, after graduation, I started to develop a passion for telling stories about Black people and Cleveland’s Black community. Plus, it allowed me to see and learn about the business side of writing, at least from a media perspective. I knew once I left that job that I would work for myself. While there, I would freelance (side hustle). I wrote stories for other publications and edited manuscripts for small publishing houses and independent authors (this satisfied my interested in literary writing). These were my first two services and they lead to be starting my own business, Rhonda Crowder & Associates. Over the years, Rhonda Crowder & Associates have evolved into a creative services agency that specializes in developing messaging and design strategies for marketing, branding and fundraising campaigns. This encompasses everything I learned and did while working in print media. What sets us apart. We can take a project from idea to marketing inception and income injection. We can serve our clients every step of the way through that journey, helping them turn their dreams into reality. We are a team of creatives (writers, designers, PR specialists, photographers, and event planners) who love what we do and, with decades of experience, we’re great at it. I am most proud that I started this business on a wing and a prayer, has sustained it for over almost 12 years, and it feels like we’re just getting started.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Word of mouth and attending networking events has been the best source of new clients for us. This is how we’ve survived all these years. We’ve never done any paid ad campaigns even though we help our clients develop them. Our clients spread the word for us. They send their family and friends to us. I guess that has been the advantage of focusing on the craft, delivery of services and customer satisfaction from the beginning. We do have social media presence but only use it to build authentic connections. I think I’ve only used it once or twice to promote a service.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My life, career and business has been a series of pivots. Remember, I wanted to write books, plays and movies and ended up in journalism. I’ve had to abandon unfulfilling, unsupportive relationships and started over to continue in pursuit of my dreams. My business has had to respond to the needs of customers as well as the market to survive. I have continued in hold on to my initial dream and have manage to publish a novel as well as write several other books (to be published soon). I also worked on a play and a documentary. Doing books, plays and movies at the level I aspire to is still on the table for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rhondacrowderllc.com
- Instagram: @rhonda_crowder
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorrhondacrowder/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonda-crowder-0b913251/
- Twitter: @rhonda_crowder