Would you like to have an interview with you, all about your business and what you’ve learned running it, featured in my popular blog series, Saturday Small Business Chat?
Every Saturday since June 2011 I’ve published an interview with a fellow freelancer or small business owner (the index so far is here) – and every year I go back and revisit my interviewees to see how they’re doing! Nowadays, I have around 26 slots per year for new interviews, with the rest filled by updates. Oh – and it’s entirely free to take part, although I do ask that you help publicise your interview by talking about it on social media and your own website.
I’m keen to showcase a large range of participants – so if you’re a freelancer, new or established, or call yourself an entrepreneur, or run your own business, whether it’s got 2 employees or 2,000, anything like that – do join in!
Readers have commented on how reading the interviews has helped them feel more confident about running – or starting – their own business.
Interviewees have commented on how interesting it is to sit down and think about what they’ve learned, and many have told me they really enjoyed thinking about and answering the questions.
The questions are the same each time – allowing readers and other businesspeople to compare and contrast. It also makes it easy to submit your answers. And I’ll be following up in a year’s time, if you’ll let me, to see how you’re doing and show how we grow and change as businesses.
This is how it works:
- copy the questions listed below (including your contact details, web addresses, etc.)
- answer them via email or via my contact form
- I’ll let you know when your interview is published, and then you’re free to promote that on your website or blog
- A year after it’s published, I’ll contact you again for an update – and that will be published too (if you want it to be)
The really good thing I’m finding is that the combination of me promoting the interviews individually and as a series on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. and my interviewees talking about them on their blogs, websites and social media really is driving traffic to both their and my websites – which has to be good! It’s also building up into being a great and varied resource that will be useful for new business owners and more established people!
THE QUESTIONS
- What’s your business called? When did you set it up?
- What made you decide to set up your own business?
- What made you decide to go into this particular business area?
- Had you run your own business before?
- How did you do it? Did you launch full-time, start off with a part-time or full-time job to keep you going … ?
- What do you wish someone had told you before you started?
- What would you go back and tell your newly entrepreneurial self?
- What do you wish you’d done differently?
- What are you glad you did?
- What’s your top business tip?
- How has it gone since you started? Have you grown, diversified or stayed the same?
- Where do you see yourself and your business in a year’s time?
- Please give your website address and contact details
- Are you happy for me to contact you in a year’s time from posting the interview, to see how you’re doing and conduct another short interview?
You can see all the interviews here and there’s a lovingly prepared index, too!
KeriLynn Engel
June 12, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Cool, what a great idea! I especially love the idea of following up in a year to see what’s changed. Definitely going to do this- I’ll email you sometime this week with my answers!
Liz at Libro
June 12, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Excellent – glad the extra twist is proving a popular idea – I have certainly grown and changed my business since this time last year!
Emma Dalzell
September 10, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Hi,
I’d definitely be interested in doing this. I’ll send you something through next week.
Great idea!
Emma
Liz at Libro
September 10, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Great stuff – I look forward to receiving it!
Samira
April 17, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I love it whenever people come together and share opinions.
Great blog, stick with it!