Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Register IT is a boutique digital marketing agency located in Oakville Ontario. We have 2 offices, one in downtown Oakville and one uptown. We specialize in getting local businesses ranked on Google, as well as helping businesses have a planned online strategy to target leads.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: I have been in business since 1999, just when the internet was starting to boom. I started off being a programmer in my business, and soon realized I could not handle the workload, so I started hiring contractors, and becoming a project manager. The business grew from there to becoming a full Agency, able to make simple or complex websites, and market them online. We are proudly one of the first woman owned and led IT companies in Canada.
Q 3.What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: We started the business in 1999 by hoping to become an internet hosting company as we saw the potential in the market. We had server racks in our basement, and t1 lines coming in. It was a huge learning experience, and from there we grew into specializing in ecommerce and custom content management type sites. When wordpress came out, we shifted to more digital marketing as the cost of website production came down, but people did not know how to market online.
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: Always think about ways to scale, and have an exit strategy in mind. Also be sure to take care of your loyal employees/contractors, they are the backbone of your business.
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Perseverance, a positive can-do attitude, and people skills.
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 10
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Perseverance, and adaptation to change
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: To be honest, even though we are a digital marketing agency, we barely do any marketing for ourselves, as 99% of our business comes from word of mouth. Having said that, the most successful form of marketing we’ve done is simply offering free education and help to local businesses. Helping others establishes you as an authority.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: We are self funded, but recently went to the BDC for a loan to expand
Q 10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Never give up, and have processes in place.
Q 11. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: I really admire what AppSumo has done with their company. They have kept it relevant, have great products, and still manage to keep it fun.
Q 12. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Good employees are worth their weight in gold. Bad ones can destroy a small business
Q 13.How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: I don’t give up, though I may rest the idea for a bit. There are no bad ideas, there is just bad timing and bad marketing
Q 14. What motivates you?
Ans: Seeing others succeed, and being able to provide for my family.
Q 15. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: They just pop into my head as I go through life and observe others
Q 16. How do you define success?
Ans: Being happy
Q 17. How do you build a successful customer base?
Ans: By ensuring you always take care of your clients. We treat our clients like family and close friends, and ensure they are taken care of. Their success is our success.
Q 18. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: Freedom
Q 19. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: I think people who work for others have a false sense of security. Entrepeneurs take like by the horns, and make their own destiny. The major difference is lack of fear of the unknown.. or having the fear and doing it anyway.
Q 20. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: Have processes in place from the beginning and think about scaling.
Q 21. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: For me, it has allowed me to make a good living while being able to be home with my kids
Q 22. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: Going bankrupt. I suppose I manage it by always thinking about how to be better and do better.
Q 23. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: The biggest mistake I made was not having processes in place from the start
Company Detail:
Company : Register It
Contact : Sarvy van Maris
Address : 1534 Oxford Avenue
City : Oakville
State : ON
Zip : L6H 1T9
Phone : +1 905-257-8698
Email : webmaster@registerit.ca