Entrepreneur, business analyst, technical product manager and thought leader Amber Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Kayson, a company committed to providing businesses the insight they need to achieve their goals. Since going out on her own in 2012, Anderson has helped dozens of companies, from startups to enterprise-level businesses, address market challenges, launch new products and services, adapt to a changing competitive landscape and much more. Follow her @amberanderson02.
Who is your hero? (In business, life, or both.)
My husband is my hero because he is the center of our family: He packs lunches, makes dinners, taught our son to swim and finds time every day to make me laugh. He is an intricate part of my life and without a doubt is the reason I am where I am today.
What’s the single best piece of business advice that helped shape who you are as an entrepreneur today, and why?
Just get started. The most helpful bit of insight I received, and live by, is that the best thing you can do for your business is to just do something. Tackling new projects is hard, especially when they’re big, but the sooner you can get a quick win in, the better you’ll feel and the easier things will become.
What’s the biggest mistake you ever made in your business, and what did you learn from it that others can learn from too?
The biggest mistake I made in my business was bringing in resources before I had my business model fleshed out. During the beginning stages, I think it’s super important that you, as a business owner, are crystal clear on what it is that you want, and how you want it done, to ensure you bring in the right people to support you. When I got started, I looped in a few partners early on, thinking that the extra hands would help me move further faster, but in reality, the conflict, difference of opinions and training just set me back. Lessons learned: take the time, in the beginning, to work in your business and be fully present. Doing so will ensure that the foundation you’re building is steady before you begin building upon it.
What do you do during the first hour of your business day and why?
The first thing I do when I wake up is check my email. I respond to all critical messages and star the items that I can get back to later. Then, I check my social media accounts for updates and news. After that, I check my calendar.
What’s your best financial/cash-flow related tip for entrepreneurs just getting started?
Hire slowly. In the beginning, try to do as much of the work as you can by yourself or lean on contractors. Only hire once you have six months to a year of that person’s salary in reserves.
Quick: What’s ONE thing you recommend ALL aspiring or current entrepreneurs do right now to take their biz to the next level?
All entrepreneurs should conduct a product evaluation. Most entrepreneurs get wrapped up in running a company that they forget a business is just a shell. The thing that makes you special is that thing you’re selling (tangible or intangible, product or service).
If you want to take your business to the next level, take a good 360-degree review of what it is that you’re selling and see where you can make improvements. For example, if you’re selling a mobile app, run through the application to make sure it’s working well, check out competitors, read customer feedback and talk with your team about new features and enhancements. Then, create a list of the updates that you can make, prioritize that list and start checking things off one by one.
What’s your definition of success? How will you know when you’ve finally “succeeded” in your business?
To me, success is about how I feel during the journey, not the destination. Doing the things I love, alongside the people I love, and knowing that my involvement for that day made a positive impact on someone’s life is how I know I’ve reached success. And my goal is to strive for that feeling every day!
