This week’s Work-At-Home Success story comes from Brandon Seymour, founder of Beymour Consulting. a South Florida-based online marketing agency, specializing in SEO, content marketing and online reputation management.
1) How did you get started working from home?
I started working from home as a marketing consultant. Although I already had a full-time marketing job, I wanted to take on a few clients on the side to generate more income and gain some experience working within different industries. I started out with one or two clients at a time, but eventually I was maintaining a roster of about 8-10 clients at any given time.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
I sort of just fell into it. I was working for a company as a copy writer, and then I started getting involved in other aspects of online marketing, such as SEO, web design, email marketing and conversion rate optimization. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon an in-demand career that I happened to really enjoy doing.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
I started by building a website. I knew that the best way to build credibility with other businesses was to first establish a strong online presence for my own brand.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
My first few clients were friends of mine. This is probably easier if you work in the B2B sector. Several of my friends owned businesses and needed some help either improving their website or online search visibility. It was win-win for both of us, since they were getting work at a discounted rate and I was gaining valuable industry experience. A few of them still send me referrals to this day, so there are definitely some residual benefits for doing cheap work when you’re just starting out.
5) How do you market your business?
I tend to focus primarily on organic channels. I’ll occasionally run some paid search ads or pay to promote posts on social media, but for the most part, I rely on SEO, content marketing, branding and good old fashioned referrals.
6) What does your usual day look like?
Well my situation is unique since I work an in-house job in addition to my at-home consulting gig. I usually leave my house around 9am and get home around 8pm. Then I start job #2. It’s definitely a grind, but since I’m 29, I think it’s better to push myself now rather than later in life.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Never sell yourself short. It sounds cliche, but I think most of us are apprehensive to ask for what we really feel we’re worth. A colleague of mine once said that there’s a big difference between being broke and being cheap. I have no problem working with emerging businesses on tight budgets, but the cheap clients usually aren’t worth the trouble.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
Keep your day job until you’re ready to take the plunge. As great as it is to have the freedom that comes along with working from home, it also comes with it’s drawbacks. For starters, you don’t have the stability that you have with most in-house positions. Additionally, it takes a lot of discipline to get stuff done each day since you usually don’t have anyone other than yourself to hold you accountable for the work that’s getting done. I would say unless you’re 100 percent confident in your ability to generate enough money to keep the lights on, take it slow. You’ll get there eventually.
To connect further with Brandon, visit
Website URL: http://brandonseymour.com
Twitter Handle: @beymour
