A Journey of Entrepreneurship
By Elizabeth Robbins-Sabourin, President
Welcome to LINC Detroit!
What inspires a 15-year industry veteran to start their own business? It took a college business plan, a push from Hal Elrod and some inspiration from Jerry Maguire to convince me to take the leap.
The best advice I can give to anyone thinking about starting their own business is not to wait for the perfect time or conditions. The perfect time is a myth. There will eventually be a point where you start making excuses to get started. That’s when you know it’s the right time.
The idea to start my own agency came during an early college communications class. I had to create a business plan for my own public relations firm. My partner and I came up with “Images Everything.” What can I say, I’m a sucker for a play on words. I’m sure everyone did something like that in their undergraduate career, but every now and again I would think about Images Everything because it always seemed like the end goal.
After college, I worked at a number of agencies, but every few years, I would think about leaving my job and going out on my own. In 2013, I started my lifestyle blog, Detroit Duchess, in hopes that one day it could be a full-time job. That was the first of many times I realized I wanted to be an entrepreneur.
Pro tip: If an idea keeps coming back to you, see it through!
Prior to starting LINC, I was exposed to a variety of small business owners and entrepreneurs who inspired me. I was fascinated to hear what inspired them to take the leap. Each entrepreneur had a turning point that pushed them to get started.
Pro tip: If entrepreneurship is on your mind, start surrounding yourself with other entrepreneurs.
In 2016, I read Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning and started planning to change my life. I didn’t know exactly what it would look like, but I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur and make a difference in the world. During my practice, I saw a vision of my business and exactly what I needed to do to make it happen. I hadn’t experienced that clarity in the past and knew it was the right time to start.
Pro tip: There are tons of books written by successful entrepreneurs. Take their advice and read as much as you can.
The plans for LINC Detroit immediately started to unfold. I knew I wanted to help small business owners build their brands and achieve their dreams. Many of them couldn’t afford to work with a large agency because they were just starting out. I came up with the name, concept, brand, and even an initial business plan to get me started. Every step became easier as each detail fell into place.
Pro tip: If people frequently ask you for business advice, you already have a business – you just aren’t charging for your services.
So there I was just walking around with a whole business plan in my head and no starting point. That was until I made a bet with another entrepreneur friend of mine. After a fun conversation at a 2018 Christmas party, he challenged me – Why was I waiting to get this business started? I had everything I needed, I just had to start. So we made a bet (over a very expensive bottle of wine) that in three months I would take the leap and launch LINC Detroit.
Pro tip: There is no better time to start. If you can’t leave your day job just yet, get your business plan and marketing materials ready. When you are prepared it will seem less like a leap and more like a step forward.
Without that last push, I might still be waiting for the right time to get started, but I’m glad another business owner could give me that last bit of inspiration to move forward.
As LINC approaches its first anniversary, I’m proud to share that we’re continuing to grow and build our service offerings. I am looking forward to the second year of business and all the future has in store for us.
If you’ve started your own business, I would love to hear your story in the comments!
