Entangling Entrepreneurs

I never thought that I would run my own business.  I have always had a passion for writing and creating but it never crossed my mind that I could turn that passion into a living.  My husband encouraged me to write a children’s book about our amazing three-legged dog, Penny.  I began doing lots (and lots) of research about independent publishing.

In March of 2015, I created Theuerkauf’s Tails, LLC.  The purpose of my company is to self-publish children’s books about the various animals that my husband and I have rescued over the years.  Each has a story of redemption and love that is all its own.

With the company established, I began to book numerous events as a vendor.  Tears filled my eyes every time that I saw the name “Theuerkauf’s Tails, LLC” hanging above my vendor space.  All of my hard work, determination and dedication was finally allowing me to achieve my dreams.

I love getting to connect with readers of all ages.  Penny loves getting belly rubs from her fans.  I also enjoy networking with other likeminded entrepreneurs.  Learning about other people’s passions and dreams is very inspiring to me.  I am eager to share my story and trade business cards with creative souls.

I would like to think that I have graduated from novice to advanced networker.  My elevator pitch flows from lips with ease because it comes directly from the passion that I feel in my soul.  In honing my networking skills, I have come across another type of entrepreneur:  The Glomerpreneur.

A glomerpreneur is a person who claims to be an entrepreneur, but then gloms off an already established entrepreneur.  This person seeks to ride the coattails of another person’s success in hopes of elevating his/her status and company.  Often times, this person will request contact lists, access to certain events, etc.

I met my first glomerpreneur at a conference.  We hit it off instantly as we are both very passionate about animals and their welfare.  We exchanged information and began planning several projects together.  I was very excited about my new connection.

We began e-mailing as soon as the conference ended.  It began with updates about our businesses and what we were planning next.  Then came the first request.

He/she complimented me on my social media savviness and wondered what my secret was.  I freely offered to provide a list of groups that I often share my content with via Facebook.  This person was very appreciative.  It felt great to be helping someone else get their business off the ground.

Later in the year, I was contacted via Twitter from a company about an exclusive event that they wanted me to attend to promote my children’s book, Priceless Penny.  I was beyond excited and honored.  Of course, I shared this information on my social media platforms.

Within minutes, I received an e-mail from my friend.  He/she congratulated me on my achievement…and then asked for the business’ contact information.  I was blown away!  This business personally contacted ME because of MY brand.  How dare this person try to worm his/her way in!  Not to mention, this will be my first time attending this event.  I am not about to push the company and say, “Hey, can my friend come too?”

This put me in a very delicate situation.  If I am honest with my friend, I will look like a diva attempting to hog the spotlight.  And I absolutely cannot stand liars.  Should I compromise my beliefs in order to not offend my nosy friend?  I struggled with this dilemma for two days.

I ultimately decided to provide limited information.  I gave my friend the name of the event and the contact’s first name only, feigning that I had not been given anything further.  It is at this point that I noticed this person had begun to become heavily involved with another conference attendee.

 

Photos and videos of them together surfaced on Facebook.  At first, it was just a few photos once a week.  Then it became daily photos of the duo.  While I was happy to see that a new friendship was forming, I was a bit worried.  Was the glomerpreneur preparing to strike again?

My fears were soon confirmed.  The “friend” was posting numerous selfies with the established entrepreneur and constantly tagging the person’s business.  He/she began to invade every single event that this person’s business was hosting.  The captions on the photos soon read “helping out at [event name here].”  I wonder if this savvy business owner has caught onto the glomerpreneur yet.

While creating my LLC only took a few months, building my brand has taken several years.  I have spent countless hours researching marketing techniques.  Days have passed where I have done nothing but scour Twitter and Instagram looking for new brands to follow.  I have spent money to attend conferences and seminars to learn how to expand my brand as well as to partake in networking opportunities.  In my “spare time,” I am constantly creating new content for my social media platforms while working on my next book project.

To me, being a true entrepreneur means that you are blazing a new trail.  Walking where others have not yet trod.  You are literally creating something that has not been seen or done before.  Attempting to attach oneself to someone else’s brand/business hoping to catch the fallout of their success is truly heinous.  The reason why people become successful is because they work tirelessly to achieve their goals.

My husband will often tell me that I need to take a break.  While I do tend to over extend myself, I am very proud of everything I have accomplished thus far.  Priceless Penny has won six literary awards and has been featured in StoryMonster Ink magazine.

I have had the extreme pleasure of meeting Seth Casteel (creator of Underwater Dogs/Cats), Brian Fanzo (branding and content specialist), and Bryan Kramer (TED Talk speaker).  I am blessed to call fellow entrepreneur Deirdre Franklin (owner of Pinups for Pitbulls) a friend.

I have discovered amazing conferences such as the Best Friends Animal Society National Conference, BarkWorld Expo and the Petfinder Adoption Option Tour.  Through these events, I have made lifelong friends and have learned how to better serve the animal community.  I get to travel and learn more about the wonderful country that I call home.

 Building a business from the ground up is hard, but very rewarding.  Watching efforts turn into successes is an exhilarating feeling.  Knowing that people care about the work that I am doing fuels my passion and creativity.  This is the true entrepreneurial spirit.

I wish everyone who is trying to achieve their dreams nothing but joy, peace and success.  Just make sure that your achievements are truly of your own making.  And guard your hard work from any lurking glomerpreneurs.