Entrepreneurship Series: Interview with Jenny Poon

Jenny Poon — a woman who admittedly likes to tell people hell no, makes little children cry and says the best part of being a business owner is, "I'm the BOSS!"

But she won't spit in your hair, she'll admit her faults, and she'll go out of her way to make your day. She's won several design awards, but for her, it's not entirely about design.

Tell us about yourself

I double majored at the University of Minnesota in advertising and journalism. Although I like writing and understanding the advertising industry, I still wasn't able to do what I love, which is design. So I went to design school. But by my second year, teachers were asking me how to do things, and I asked myself, "Why am I paying $4000 a semester to teach a class?"

So I stopped that and got an internship to do design work. I don't recommend people dropping out of school, ever… but it was the best decision for me, because I learned more at my internship than I ever did at school.

What did you do after that?

I worked for quite a few different magazines. It was great seeing how businesses work. But I got to the point where I was happy with my design work, but I hated the companies I was working for. Day after day, my anger grew. I would make suggestions, and it wasn't anything they were excited about. So I left.

I went to the Arizona Republic. I was art director of their local magazine, AZ Magazine. It was great because I got to meet entrepreneurs and small business people while learning about Phoenix, which really got me excited.

Did that make you want to start your own business?

Yes, but I remember growing up thinking, "I'll never be in a job I really love, cause that just doesn't happen." Kids grow up thinking that. They say, "I'm going to be a doctor because everyone says I should be a doctor." And they think about how they're going to work for somebody else. I think you have to work for somebody, so you know how to run your own business. I love running my own business!

My parents own a business. They've run their own business for a really long time… since I was born. I had to go work in the restaurant every day after school. I remember thinking, "This is terrible. My parents are always at work and I always have to be there helping. I never want to run my own business."

Friends would ask, "Do you want to run a business when you get older?" and I'd say, "No! That's a 24/7 job for the rest of your life. When you take a vacation, it's not really a vacation cause you're getting docked pay for not working." So I was very much against it. But then you start working for other people, and you realize maybe you're crazy and selfish and there are things you want to do your way, and you don't like doing things that don't have an effect on people.

That's how I felt, so I decided to start my own business.

But this isn't a restaurant, so I still take vacations, and I work from home when I want to. I'M THE BOSS! It's scary going off on your own, but I was lucky.

Tell us about that.

My company, eeko studio grew out of one of those things I was passionate about: sustainability. I see the benefit in solar and being more sustainable, so I thought, "How can I help them with their cause?" I started searching out sustainable companies and hearing their stories, and learning about what they do. The ones that won me over were the ones I ended up working with.

And that's what eeko ended up being about — finding clients and things to do that I'm passionate about. Anything that needs design help. Good ideas need good help. eeko studio has made a name out of helping small businesses brand themselves. We do logos, print advertising, web design and online advertising.

How did you fund your business?

I was fortunate because I knew that I wanted to do this before I left my job, so I had time to prepare and a good cushion. It was in the back of my mind; I was mentally prepared for it. It was really exciting and the hardest work I've ever done. So I loved doing it. I had money set aside, about 6-8 months, and I already had a computer.

How did you market your business?

I've been really fortunate to not have to do much marketing. From the time I launched eeko studio, I had clients waiting to work with me. So when I launched, I had a flurry of work. It was great, but in the back of my head, I was always nervous about where my next paycheck was coming from. I wondered, "Am I going to be able to pay the bills in six months?" So I always have 6-8 months leeway on everything.

I love being in this community of people that are passionate about everything they're doing. So I asked, "How do I continue that?" The answer was by working with clients who are passionate about what they do.

I ask, "What cool things can we do that maybe don't raise a lot of revenue, that opens all these ideas out?" Hopefully that leads to bigger projects. Big agencies are impersonal. A lot of stuff that comes out of agencies has been done and done and done again. I'm really big on keeping our team and creativity fresh. We have the time to focus on you and focus on developing ideas, 'cause they're like us: passionate.

I have lots of collaborators. That's how CO+HOOTS works. You work together with other people that are really strong in other skill sets and focus on your own skill set.

Tell us more about CO+HOOTS, collaboration and coworking.

At first, I was working from home and I was doing great. But as I was growing and hiring on people, I knew it just wasn't going to work from home. Meeting at coffee shops just wasn't going to work either. I talked to a few people and looked into sharing space, just for the sake of small business and not taking crazy risks. So we looked at a few spaces, ran the numbers and it seemed to work. If everyone pitched in, we could pay the rent, pay for a few supplies and everyone could focus on their business and not worry about where they were working out of.

That turned into CO+HOOTS, a coworking space in downtown Phoenix.

We gave it a try and its been successful. It's kinda magical… but honestly, the concept isn't hard to sell, especially for the people who understand coworking and are looking for it. When people see what we're doing, they see it's really different.

Give me an example of how collaboration works.

I've always been the art designer and creative director; I've never been the business side person. I can do it, but its not what I'm passionate about. So I don't really want to do it. So I hand that over to one of my collaborators and I'm good. We're all working together, side by side, in the same space. So there's not as much miscommunication as you might have with a distributed team.

What's the biggest mistake you've made?

Thinking I could do it all by myself. I learned quickly that it's okay to ask for help. People really like being asked to help other people. It gives them a level of respect and increases their reputation.

Try to think of it as not everyone's your competitor, but everyone's someone who could possibly help you. Tell me how I can help you, and here's what I need help with. It's not about competing, it's about producing a good, quality product. If you create a quality product, there's no way for others to compete.

I always ask myself, "How can I get really excited about this project that I'm working on?" And then it flows… and if we're not excited about doing something, I can always pass it to someone who's a better fit; one of our collaborators at CO+HOOTS.

What's been the most important thing you've learned?

Knowing my worth and knowing when to say no. I read this book called Hell Yes! If you're going to do something, it shouldn't just be a 'yes,' it should be a'hell yes.' If there's any red flag that goes up at any point, then don't just say no, say hell no. There are plenty of people who will take up the project, and if you take it on, then you know you'll be kicking yourself later. So its okay if we starve for a day or two until we get a good project. But that hasn't happened yet… knocks on wood

What's the best marketing you've done?

Connecting with Local First Arizona was huge! Because it's right along side what I believe in — working with people that are passionate about what they're doing, working with local businesses, helping improve connections between small businesses.

The next best thing was doing good work and having good client relationships, because those always spin off to more work. When you're working with a client, you need to make sure you're on your best behavior. Its simple things like being polite, respectful; don't spit in anyone's hair!

What do you do when a client isn't on their best behavior?

It always needs to be equal balance. The client has to hold up their end of the deal and if they're not, you have to stand your ground. That goes back to knowing your worth. If someone's stepping on you, you have to put your foot down and sometimes it's just not going to work out, because you're a different personality or there's different expectations. That's okay, that comes with every single business. We've had to fire a few clients.

How do you set expectations?

I'm a strong believer in being harsh in the beginning. I learned that from being a teacher. You have to be a bitch and set the ground rules right at the get-go. Then there's no surprises in the future. What I did when I was a teacher is be really stern, you know, make kids cry, lay down the law, then the rest of it is easy.

You just make it very clear from the beginning, here are all our expectations, all our deliverables, all our deadlines. If you're honest with people, they'll understand it. Admitting that you have faults, people are willing to help you overcome them. You tell them, this is what you're going to get from me, this is what I'm going to get from you, and then you over deliver, and they'll be happy.

I never say I'm going to do something if I don't know I'm going to do it. In a trusted relationship, I think of it as friendships and personal relationships quite honestly. It is business, and money is exchanged, but in the beginning, if we're clear about expectations and we build a good relationship, then hell yes!...I'll help you because I know what you're doing is good.

If that means I think of a cool promotional item I think you should do, and I don't tell you about it and I just do it and give it to you, and it makes your day, then hell yeah! I think that's just being a good person. What would you do for your brother or sister? That's what you should be doing for your client.

What advice would you offer someone starting their own business?

It's okay to say no.

Always stay focused on what you're passionate about.

Don't give your boss the finger on your way out the door.

Oh yeah, and you can be happy at your job! It is possible! You can do this and be happy at your job. It's going to be hard work and you better be driven to do it, but you CAN do it!