Dotty Scott quit their job after a boss said they'd never make it, then had to scale a side hustle into a real business when their partner lost his job. They share what they learned about marketing and running a small business from those early struggles.
Tell me how you got from where you started, wherever you want to define that to be, and to today.
Well, it has been quite a journey. I started not necessarily with the same goals that I have today. When I started, I had like a little side hustle. I was working a regular job part-time and starting to build websites on the side. And things happened where I was working, and I call it the good old boys club. I'll never be part of the good old boys club. And basically I quit my job and I told my boss what I was doing, and he looked at me and he said, Dotty, you'll never make it. It is too hard to start a business and, and make a living on your own. You are an employee. And, and I waved at him. I said goodbye and walked out the door. There's a lot more to that story, but we don't need to get into it. So when I started my business, It was to have an extra income, to be able to afford to go on vacations, to fund my and, and my partner's retirement accounts and just extra money kind of a thing. Well, a month after I jumped in feet first and quit my job, then he lost his job. And he never really got a really great job again. I mean, he was the one paying all the bills. So all of a sudden it was like, okay, I have to ramp up and, and really do an actual business. Whereas before, really in my mind, it was a hobby. And so it was a put your feet in the fire and run. Type of a thing. And, and I totally would never ever recommend anybody do this because it was highly stressful. And, and, but we made it through, you know, the first years were really rough and I learned a ton, a ton of stuff and all to do with marketing and running a business and what to do, what not to do, all of that stuff. And I, and I share it with my customers. It's like, okay, well, I tried that. Here's what happened for me. Maybe we can tweak it and it'll have a different result for you, that kind of stuff. But my journey was scary.
