What do you do if you want to leave your corporate job and start your own B2B marketing business?

To transition from a corporate job to starting a B2B marketing business: Market Research: Understand the market demand and identify your niche. Business Plan: Create a detailed plan including services, pricing, and growth strategy. Financial Planning: Assess savings, and plan funding to sustain the initial phase without income. Legal Setup: Register your business, understand tax implications, and get any necessary licenses. Network: Leverage existing contacts, and attend industry events for partnerships and leads. Build Online Presence: Create a professional website and social media profiles. Service Offering: Define clear, unique service packages. Client Acquisition: Start with freelance projects or small contracts and scale up.

This is a question of market fit. In the assessment you need to both evaluate yourself in terms of how your superpowers and experience can be translated into marketing services. On the other hand, you need to also determine what your niche market is and what is the willingness to pay for your services in that specific niche. Just because you can provide value to your customers, it does not mean you will be able to monetize it. So verify there's a market fit for you. Beyond this, consider that any new business can take a few years before it becomes profitable so make sure you understand your financial runway - how long can you go without income.

Starting your own B2B marketing business is a big leap, but it's crucial to assess your readiness before diving in. Take stock of your skills, experience, and network, and make sure you're equipped to understand and address the needs of potential clients. Financial stability is key too, so having a plan to sustain yourself during the early stages is essential. It's a journey worth taking if you're passionate about helping businesses grow and succeed.

I made this decision 5 years ago after 20 years as B2B Marketing Director to B2B Marketing Consultant and Mentor. In my personal experience, you have to love (and I am saying love) what you are doing in marketing and feel the B2B market lacks what you are solving or creating in a high quality way. Secondly, you should feel strong enough to face uncertainty and “desert journeys” until getting the confident stage. In a third position, it has to be natural and easy for you selling yourself and creating your brand from the scratch, 24 hours a day. It is obvious you have to be hard worker and creative enough apart from creating and talking to your audience 24/7 in order to know their problems and adjust your value proposal and message.

1. Define services/target market. 2. Research competitors/clients/pricing. 3. Develop a business plan: goals, strategies, and projections. 4. Build a brand: name, logo, visuals. 5. Marketing mix: content, social, email, events, partnerships. 6. Hire team/outsource roles. 7. Pricing: factor expenses/profits. 8. Financial plans: income, costs, cash flow. 9. Comply: register, licenses, taxes, employment laws. 10. Milestones, growth timelines - adjust as needed. 11. Continuous learning: events, publications, network.

This is the moment where you have to start thinking of yourself as the company not the individual. In this context, you need to build a business plan that for how you will get from ZERO to having a sustainable business that still provides work/life balance. In my experience, it's important to write it down (electronically) to have something you can look at when you have your moments of doubt. Plus, once it's written down you will be able to make revisions based on the market changes and/or changes in your situation. Remember that strategy is not static but iterative.

As a seasoned B2B marketer, I believe that venturing into your own business requires a solid plan that outlines your goals, target audience, services, pricing, and financial forecasts. It's crucial to focus on what sets you apart in the market, whether it's specialized services or industry expertise. Remember, a well-thought-out business plan not only guides your journey but also helps attract potential investors or partners.

Creating a business plan and always having Plan B Or Plan C for your business is a wise option. In B2B area if you have planned to start your business then you need to ensure below things. 1) Relevant experience 2) Foresight for your business 3) Industry trends 4) which services in B2B marketing is more in demand 5) identify your potential prospects 6) Segment your market 7) creat customized message for your target audience 8) financial forecast for 10 years 9) Alingn the invester for your business 10) A smart team with all business function

Sure a good plan helps but starting by creating your Buyer Personas by talking with your business contacts will help you to define your message, content plan and value proposal. Checking your skills and going for the required ones is important in Marketing. Creating and audience in Linkedin and getting the algorithm to be updated about your value to add is key, so take your time to work on it. Getting your first customers is key to feel your new external role and also to evolve your value because is not the same the expectations by being under a stablished brand than being your own brand.You will have to think about pricing and it will depends on your positioning Just after this, start to roll out your model and set quantitative metrics.

From my experience, before you make any decisions about the legal structure of your company make sure that you talk to a Tax Expert because this is much more important, in my opinion, than how you set up. Less important but still an important consideration will be how the legal structure helps (or is detrimental) to scaling up your organization. For example, I have decided I will not have any employees but will hire freelancers when I have to scale up a project. Based on that, I selected the simplest legal entity - a single owner LLC.

Setting up your own B2B marketing business is a big move, and getting the legal stuff right is key. Decide if you're flying solo or partnering up, and sort out the paperwork to keep things legit. It's smart to have a lawyer in your corner to make sure you're covering all the bases and keeping your assets safe.

My freelance hustle boomed, but legal anxieties lurked. Every click felt like a potential legal minefield. Research became my weekend warrior – articles devoured, legalese a struggle. Finally, I booked a lawyer. She, a digital marketing angel, translated the legalese jungle. An LLC, she explained, shielded my savings from business mishaps. Relief washed over me. Legalities are now a breeze. My focus is clear: killer content, not tax fears. Sleep is deeper, my hustle bolder. The legal leap wasn't a burden, it was a launchpad. I soar, my foundation secure.

Regardless of the size of the organization, or if you are early in the process of scaling up or if it''s a fully sustainable business, you ARE the brand. So leverage your experience building / growing brands and apply the same principals to yourself. This is likely going to be the easiest as long as you see yourself as the product / organization and invest accordingly.

Absolutely. Giving shape a new brand is something exciting but not only in a tactical plan. Visual Identity sure, but not first: Don’t think you are alone in the space. You will be the last to come so you will have to position yourself from humbility. What is your personal Vision? Will it engage with your buyer persona? Where are you making the difference? Are there evidence? Where could you leverage your professional background and expertise? What channels will you employ? Do you know your customer problems? Why you?… A good word of mouth,a simple and focused website and adquiring the habit of creating valued content with persistence and criteria will help you to go faster.

Creating a strong brand identity is key when starting your own B2B marketing business. Your brand, from the name to the logo, needs to connect with your target audience and showcase what sets you apart. It's like introducing yourself in a room full of people—you want to make a good impression and stand out in a memorable way.

My key advice here would be not to over-agonise on this. I've seen many peers/friends who venture into the world of business spend house and lots of money trying to develop the perfect logo, all while they have neglected doing initial client outreach and scrutinising their range of services/offerings. You can always update and improve your brand as you progress.

This should be the easiest by far, specially if you are targeting businesses for your services. Leverage your experience developing marketing strategies, developing the marketing plan, budgeting (specially important if you are self financed), goals, KPIs, content, etc. Make sure that you are dashboarding your KPIs to understand where you are vs. your targets, enabling you to make adjustments.

As a seasoned B2B marketer, I believe transitioning from a corporate job to starting your own marketing business requires a solid strategy. Building a strong online presence and networking within the industry are key. Sharing your expertise through content marketing helps establish credibility and attract potential clients. It's all about showcasing your skills and connecting with others in a genuine way to grow your business.

A great way to gauge whether your marketing strategy is going to be successful is to spend time with other B2B businesses in networking environments. Conversations with people who are already successful in business could help you to avoid pitfalls and challenge your thinking. It will also help you to find other marketing agencies that are synergistic to you. They make great opportunities for collaboration as you are often working with the same target audiences.

Setting up your differenciation by creating a targeted audience which feel you could help them is essential but it takes time. Digging in your sectorial expertise could be the base of your kick off strategy by positioning yourself as a “client expert” rather than “Marketing expert” Creating your “dark social” environment to be known while educating prospects is important. Showing evidence in the website about your former corporate success through testimonials and case studies will boost your win rate. A good approach in SEO and being proactive looking to participate in off line events and podcasts will help to spread the voice too. Be patient and enjoy the way if not it will not pay off.

Absolutely do: ??? Leverage the real relationships from your corporate job to get new clients. ??? Be open and honest with all parties about your intentions and affiliations. Relationships matter more than anything. ??? Consider having some clients before you quit your job. Absolutely don’t: ??? Take clients from your job without express *written* permission signed by all parties. ??? Lie to your corporate employer about your intentions within their organization. ??? Ask me to start a B2B marketing company with you.

Your first pool of customers are critical to show you walking in the market, and also to let you learn, so take advantage of your old corporate agenda to start. One good piece of advice I was given was not to think about money in the beginning. Think in the well know rating of the customer and the possibility he/she let you roll out your job to get your first results. Technology could help you to identify intent data to go first. Google Analytics, CRM etc. I would invest also in Linkedin Paid Media (if it s clear you target for you) and in my case, being B2B Marketing executive teacher allowed me to get many prospects.

Plan meticulously; network vigorously. Before leaving your corporate job to start a B2B marketing business, develop a comprehensive business plan that includes market analysis, services offered, pricing strategy, and a clear value proposition. Build a strong network by leveraging industry contacts and participating in relevant professional groups. Ensure you have a financial cushion to support the transition period. Starting your venture with a solid foundation and a robust network will enhance your chances of success and sustain your business growth.