Steps to Launching Your Own Business

Jacqualynn Gordon is a member of the Sorrento Valley Hera Hub.  She takes us through her journey from the beginning with taking business classes at University of Redlands to starting her own company, Zoku Marketing which can be found at zokumarketing.com

Hera Hub: Take us back maybe at college or even high school, what lead you to finally launching your business? 

Jacqualynn: I grew up around entrepreneurs all my life and that’s all I really knew.  I never knew the 9 to 5 parent.  So I’ve always wanted to start my own career or start my own company.  I just never knew what I wanted to do.  And so when I went to University of Redlands, I did jump into their business courses.  And I loved it but I didn’t know what to do after college.  So I tried the hospitality route, the big corporation and then I worked for several start-ups after that. And I loved working for start-ups because you wear so many hats in a start-up and you learn so many different skills.

Hera Hub: And tell us what do you love the most about your business?

Jacqualynn: Honestly, it’s learning new industries, meeting with new and small business owners, seeing the progress we can make and the improvements we can make to their website and their business.  It’s just really awesome and it’s great to be around like-minded people. 

Hera Hub: What kind of words of wisdom or advice do you have?  You’ve had your business for a little over a year. What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way and maybe wish someone would have shared with you prior to launching?

Jacqualynn: You’re never going to be able to do this alone.  Find people that you can ask questions to, business owners, people who have been in the industry for a while.  You’re always going to run into a problem that you don’t know how to solve.  I had run into many and sometimes, I need someone to help me through it or sometimes, I just need the support to say, “You know what?  We’ve all been there and you know you’ll figure it out.”

Hera Hub: I want to ask you, of course, the quintessential question of the show is what are the… or what has been, over the last year in your business, the secrets to your success?

Jacqualynn: Honestly, just… you have to dive in with both feet.  You can’t just test the waters.  You’ll never want to make the plunge away from your steady paycheck and sometimes, you just need to jump in.  And I think, really dedicating myself to everything, from research to learning, to finding clients and developing my own marketing plan, my own business plan is really just getting out there and doing it.  And getting experience in your industry and making those business relationships.  I think business relationships will be the biggest reasons for my success.  So that’s the big one.

Success Secrets of Enterprising Women is a weekly blog talk radio show hosted by Hera Hub.
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Felena is a long-time entrepreneur and marketing maven.  Her latest venture, Hera Hub, is a spa-inspired shared workspace for female entrepreneurs. This as-needed, flexible work and meeting space provides a productive environment for women who primarily work from home.  Hera Hub members have access to a professional space to meet with clients and to connect and collaborate with like-minded business owners, thus giving them the support they need to be prosperous.  Cost-effective monthly membership options are suited for freelancers, independent consultants, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and authors.

Hera Hub is much more than just a shared workspace; it’s a community of like-minded entrepreneurial women who find the additional resources, such as special classes, workshops, and one-on-one support essential for their business growth. The first San Diego location is conveniently located in Sorrento Valley.  By the end of 2012 Hera Hub will have additional locations in Mission Valley & Carlsbad.

Felena is passionate about education, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of San Diego and her MBA from California State University Dominguez Hills.  She taught Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and at California State University Dominguez Hills for the MBA online program for eight years. Felena was most recently rewarded for community efforts, as she was awarded the “Women Business Owner of the Year Award” by the local chapter of the National Organization of Women Business Owners.