Entrepreneurial Drive
Becoming an entrepreneur is more popular now than ever, and although it may be easy to come up with a product or service, the ‘turning it into a business’ part is quite the opposite. “…, we realized that so many of our friends in our social space had great ideas and great audiences but needed help with their operations,” says John Brown, founder of Be Fulfilled.
While working on a new focus for former company Cents of Style, John recognized that as a ‘digitally native brand’ they were equipped with everything needed to help those wanting to share their product. With that in mind, Brown worked to create a new company that would provide the services that make it possible for you to develop, source, manage and ship your product to your audience. That company became Be Fulfilled.
“My entrepreneurial drive pushed me to do something new,” says Brown. “I knew I wanted to find a way to expand on the vision for Cents of Style, to empower women. I wanted to find a new and innovative way to help provide tools and share what learned.”
Helping with the Dirty Work
Now, most people may not realize all the work that goes on behind the scenes before a business sells or provides their product or service. Rather than struggle on your own to get through that long process, Be Fulfilled will complete the ‘dirty work’ for you. They will develop products, help with customer service, source products that fit your budget, manage and build a website and ship your products to your customers. They let you focus on what you do best, and they’ll do the rest.
Along with a lot of work put into creating a business, there is an abundance of time put in. With the help of Be Fulfilled and their knowledge and experience of creating a business, they can help cut down that time, or at least make sure it is spread out and spent focused on the right things. “It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to get the right product. I try to really find the values and timelines my client looks for and find a way to align their expectations with reality.” By working closely with each client John brings their ideas to fruition.
With that being said, more time spent working with clients means less time at home or with family. Surely John and Courtney, who are both business owners, found the secret to a work/life balance right? Actually it’s just the reverse, “We don’t (establish a work/life balance).
We do our best. We try to always be aware of each other. It’s working well, but it’s not always easy,” says Brown. This is not the only way that life for the Brown family has been affected. “I work more now, I’m also happier when I’m challenged and creative. I’m a better person,” shared John. Sounds like there are many more positive experiences in store for them.
A Specific Mindset
Different kinds of careers need different kinds of mindsets. Just like engineering requires a focused mindset, fulfillment processing requires a creative mindset. “I love to create. Create products, create business, create something from nothing. That’s what gets me excited,” mentioned John. Although it seems his creativity comes naturally, John has found a process that helps him stay in the constant creative mindset that is needed. “My daily mantra is to add value first to my clients. Trying to first focus on my clients’ success always lets me start from a great place.”
Thinking of their value and putting clients first seems to not only be important to the creative process. John attributes this to his success too.
With successes comes failures, and when running a business there are bound to be many highs and lows. Everyone finds the best way for themselves to get through those hard times so that they can celebrate the good ones. Sometimes the lows may make one feel that it is time to back down or leave the business behind. When asked about this. Brown said, “about once a week I think I feel this way. I’ve been a part of several startups, but this one feels different. It has my whole heart and soul in it.” Now that sounds like a pretty good reason to keep working towards your dream and to celebrate those good times.
For those looking to start a business of their own, John has some fantastic advice. “Do it. Do your market research, ask friends, ask potential customers, get feedback. Then always remember that product development is a journey not a destination, enjoy the process.”
Ultimately what Brown is looking to create is a community resource. “One that is a fully vertically integrated solution for brands. One that offers retail, pick-up, same day delivery and full domestic and international ecommerce,” he adds.
So overall it looks like there are changes on the horizon that will transform Be Fulfilled from what we know now, so stay tuned.
Visit befulfilled.net to learn more.
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