"I never really got into the marketing side of things," says Donna Folden,
who launched a bookkeeping services company in 2006 called Number
Junkies. She worked for chartered accounting firms for several years before
venturing out on her own. "I knew I was an entrepreneur and I wanted to
build a wider skill set before I attempted to create my own business."

That's why Fiona Friesen decided to target people like Folden by using
her marketing background to give small business owners a crash course
in marketing blended with coaching and support services, including
design services.

"What we want to do is train them with marketing skills so they're not just
outsourcing," says Friesen, who started small business marketing training
firm Glue Solutions. "They're able to install a marketing system in their own
business . . . built for them so they can execute it in-house."

Since going through the whole process -- Friesen's GlueEd program takes
about three months to complete with seven group workshops and three
individual sessions -- Folden's business has grown by 156 per cent.

"It really opened my eyes," says Folden. "I realized that when I knew what
my marketing plan was, the rest of my business activities are led by that
marketing plan."

Call it lifelong learning or just getting the skills to complement the core
business, but either way, Friesen says entrepreneurs often need a unique
training approach that fits into their busy schedules.

"It's not exactly coaching, it's not exactly teaching -- it's definitely training,"
she says, describing the approach of traditional education with coaching,
design and support services.

Folden sums it up by saying the approach helped her refine her vision. It
taught her how to differentiate her business from the competition, target a
specific niche client base, develop a clear message and deliver it effectively.

GlueEd costs about $3,000 and includes Friesen's "Duct Tape Marketing"
training followed up by one-on-one coaching, graphic design, copywriting,
website development and public relations. By taking a group approach first,
business owners learn from each other as much as anything. Folden thought
she knew how she wanted to operate her business until she went through the
process and found she developed, changed and refined most of the business.

Instead of targeting everybody, she focused on sole proprietors in areas such
as construction, trades and professional services. Or anybody with a sense
of humour; her business design reflects her lighthearted approach to number
crunching.

Many people who were laid off during the recession decided to go back to
school, which boosted enrolment numbers at universities across Canada.

Entrepreneurs can't always afford the time to tackle a full-time postsecondary
program, so this solution offers a practical alternative, says Folden.

"For any startup, where you spend your most time is trying to get clients,"
she says. "This program . . . was bringing an understanding of what marketing
was all about."

Friesen became a certified Duct Tape Marketing coach following her training
in the program before launching Glue Solutions in 2004. She developed the
GlueEd program last year and officially launched it at the beginning of this
month. She's trained people with businesses in a wide range of small business
areas, such as photography, event planning, custom home design, workplace
organization and market research firms.

Folden remains focused on growing her own business, which now includes
the regular use of five subcontractors as she expands the company.

While the marketing skills she gained and services she received were
essential to her success, she says it's also about solidifying your vision
and developing concrete steps to get there. "The confidence you have in
yourself comes to the forefront."

derek.sankey@telus.net