10 Pearls of Wisdom From One Female Founder’s Entrepreneurial Journey
Olivia F. Scott reflects on 15 Years of Omerge Alliances Marketing Consultancy
As detailed in my Medium article VIBE’s Demise = Omerge’s Rise, on June 29, 2009, my beloved’s company VIBE Magazine’s abrupt closure resulted in my immediate unemployment. Uncertainty abounded about severance and last two weeks pay. But, we all had to go…with the quickness.
And as a result, I became an accidental entrepreneur — overnight. Kicking the party off with a well-composed powerpoint. I started off very humbly and meekly peddling the work I had done to date, but very unsure of my pricing, positioning or the need for my offerings.
With the encouragement of one woman, Jody Teiche, and the belief in me by three benevolent men, one of whom I’d worked with, and two whom I hadn’t, respectively Gregg Rothberg, Steve Stoute and Kevin Powell, I got on my founder’s way 15 years ago. In this time, we have served and grown with many companies including ESSENCE Magazine, ESSENCE Festival, Media Storm, Cry Out Con, Game Show Network, New York Theological Seminary, Freedom at The Mat, amongst many more.
In the time served, I’ve learned that…
- You can never get started if you don’t start. Basic common logic, I know. But so many of us are our own worst enemy. We analyze and prolong starting a thing to infinity. Similar to getting married or having a child, you are never ready for the path of entrepreneurship. It is a journey filled with highs and lows, and much uncertainty. But, once you get going, your way finds you. In this one instance, delay is denial. The longer you delay starting, the longer it takes to learn the lessons which will help you arrive at get your professional freedom. So, just start by putting one foot in front of the other. If you’re asking, like really, how exactly do I get started. I’d say, start with what YOU want to offer the world, do some competitive research to see where the service and product gaps are and then, get going.
- If you do the work — like really do the work, your work does the work for you. This is my one promise to you. I’ve shared before in many different ways that I’m not a boastful or particularly braggadocious or extroverted person. In fact, I’ve often looked with absolute wonder at colleagues who are much more naturally confident and assertive than I, and wish that I could present Omerge Alliances more boldly than I do. But, what I’ve experienced is that me just showing up as my authentic self, doing the earnest and honest work for my clients. Focusing on service and delivery of best-in-class work and service is what has helped Omerge stay in business and in demand for its duration.
- Your business will evolve as you evolve. When I first started, I had the most experience in entertainment marketing, so I tried marketing management and artist management first. This quickly proved to be a non profit venture ;). So, over time I rebooted Omerge Alliances as a beauty marketing agency. We managed marketing campaigns for IMAN Cosmetics, Andre Walker Hair, Limelight Extensions, Me & The Girls, Urban Skin Rx, before this became boring. And again, as more time passed, I grew as did my interests. I found the beauty industry to be very competitive, and one in which the products were so similar that the marketing campaigns were skating around truth. Additionally, wellness, which had always been important to me, beckoned me nearer after my divorce in 2014, and my sister’s unexpected death in 2019. So, while I was and still do marketing consulting for a variety of projects, I’ve allowed myself to lean into developing wellness experiences and event properties. And it feels right. A hint that it’s time to evolve your business is when you dread doing the work.
4. Every client relationship will not be a love affair. I tend to think I’m a pretty likeable and respectable person. Ok, so I really am. But in my 15 years, I encountered one client whom our relationship could never shift in gears from rocky road to smooth sailing. I tried everything, but it just didn’t work. As a self-professed over thinker, I cross examined myself and the client to see where things went wrong. I course corrected, but I never fell in her good graces. After beating myself up for a few months, I resolved to acceptance that you can’t win them all, AND that over communication, timelines that I can deliver upon and boundaries would be new things Omerge would commit.
5. To scale, you must delegate. This one took me THE longest to truly accept. You know why? Because all entrepreneurs think they can do any, and everything. Truth is, we’re an overzealous, and in some cases, overconfident bunch. Once our little pesky fingers get a hold of excel or quickbooks and calculate our margins, greed can take over and we want every little penny of margin for ourselves. And why not, it’s our company anyway. While this is true (that it’s our company, and we built this house), if we’re building legacy brands, ones which will outsurvive us, or ones which we want to grow beyond our current territories, delegation is a must. You may be reading this, and question how you can afford the time to find a staffer or the money from your own lifestyle. The good news is, the international workforce which has presented itself via the likes of upwork.com, fiverr.com, fancyhands.com, and innumerable others, allows you to contract with an array of vendors in various time zones and fee ranges. Don’t do it all yourself. Period.
6. Discipline is the stuff entrepreneurs are made of. When you’re a knowledge worker, there are two things which are imperative. Staying with the times through ongoing learning, and self-governance regarding time and finance expenditure. When you’re the business and the boss, it all comes down to you. Yes, there is an extraordinary amount of freedom. When you first start, and once you begin to complete projects, your confidence grows, and you believe that you can get anything done. And you can — with proper planning and resources. But, then again you can also travel more, nap more, chat with friends during work hours, exercise longer, and do a host of other unproductive things. There are many entrepreneurs, of which I am one, who exercise in the a.m. daily to kick start the day. There are also others who begin their days with prayer (I am one of these as well). I have a big yellow papasan chair cushion on my floor which I plant myself on to create new ideas and write. And my office walls are brightly colored orange to activate the creativity within me. So, you choose your routines, and allow them to become rituals which will guide the balance of work and play.
7. Play is necessary. Most often my ideas of genius do not come in the appointed time of my creativity sessions/brainstorms. One of my favorite loves is yoga. Whenever I’m engaged in yoga, it’s as if I’m completely free. I’m dancing. I’m playing. I’m fascinated by the clarity and uniqueness of ideas which come to me while engaged with my beloved yoga. I also LOVE laughter, so engage in my favorite creator’s feeds on Tik Tok and YouTube frequently. Whatever you do, please allow time for play.
8. Sacrifice is required. While entrepreneurship looks fun, and to some easy, it’s not always. In the beginning, and usually for some years thereafter, it’s a grind. Sleep, diet and life in general are very often compromised.
Rest if you must, but don’t quit. You got this. As the saying goes, if what you are doing was easy, everyone would be doing it. But they’re not. YOU ARE. So, get going on YOUR journey. Similar to any other new commitment you make, it takes time to figure out your groove.
A former boss told me years ago, when you’re building a business, you’re often NOT having much fun in the first 10 years. There are so many lessons to learn (often costly ones too, sigh). You may miss parties with friends and family, you may not be able to buy the latest clothes or car models, but you gotta keep your eye on the long game. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
9. Think long term. We all hear, think of the exit when you start. And while I fully agree with that. I’m also speaking about picking your daily battles wisely. All kinds of ish will come your way, DAILY and monthly which will test your ability to operate in integrity. So many things. Clients who are delayed with payments. Clients who want to pay you less. Clients who are not responsive to your deadlines, impacting other projects (which they don’t know you’re working on). Staffers who want more pay or who don’t deliver, leaving you to step in. Long hold times with Go Daddy (seriously). Website hackers. A competitor stealing your ideas, and doing what you started better than you. But, ground down into WHY you’re doing this. What is your personal why? Others may come and go, but if you stay true to your personal business mission, you can withstand the gift of time.
10. Give Yourself Grace. Listen up. Just like this article is being written and published two months after Omerge’s actual anniversary (August 2024) of Omerge Alliances (because I legit forgot due to being extremely busy with client work), sometimes you miss the mark. To go the long game, you’ll have to be patient with yourself (and others), accept your limitations, errors, and grant yourself grace. And while you’re at it, be gracious with others too. We are all doing the best that we can during our time on earth.
Make your time count, and do what’s been placed in your heart and mind to do. Go forth, and slay…Love, Olivia
For more tips from my journey, please get my 15th Anniversary Commemorative ebook, audio book or paperback copy of 51 of our favorite tips. Click here to get your copy.
