Small Business Owners and Dave

Mahesh Raj Mohan

Mahesh Raj Mohan

I am a full-time Portland freelance copywriter, editor, and content marketing specialist. I help companies with white papers, case studies, technical writing, product copy, and more.

We're all DaveIf your job title is “freelance writer,” then prospects, clients, friends, and strangers on the street understand your core competency and value.  But it also means you wear all the entrepreneurial hats.  (Some folks call this being a “solopreneur.”)

Right now, I outsource my accounting, but I do everything else … sales, project management, accounts receivable/payable, social media, basic web design, and of course writing and editing.   At the same time, my business is reaching a point where I need to start outsourcing some tasks (especially web design).

That’s why I love the Staples ad campaign that’s been running for a couple of months now.  “Dave” the small business owner is shown in an office full of doppelgangers all doing the various jobs involved with a small business.  It’s smart and funny, and it actually makes the point that while small business owners can be multi-tasking ninjas … they (we) definitely need some help.

If you haven’t seen the commercial, you can check it out here.

If you’re a small business owner, are you also a “Dave?”  Or do you outsource?

5 thoughts on “Small Business Owners and Dave”

  1. Great minds think alike, Mahesh. I was commenting to my husband just the other day how clever the Dave commercial is (and how much I can relate to it). I am like you – only outsource my accounting… and occasional interviews to a wonderful transcriptionist (because it's money well spent).

    Good luck outsourcing more and more as your business grows!

    1. A transcriptionist is a great idea! Does this individual work with out-of-state clients?

      And when I saw the "Dave" commercials, one of my first thoughts was, "I need to blog about this." 😉 lol. Glad you relate to it, too, and here's to both of us having more work than we can deal with this year!

      And more time to work on our WIPs! 🙂

  2. Like you and Melissa, I only outsource my accounting (slap on the wrist for us!). I have been getting quotes for web design, though, because it's time to get a pro to redo my site (I DIY-ed it 2 years ago using iWeb…it's been good to me but I want to take it to the next level 😉

    I'd love to outsource interview transcriptions, but I usually need them done very quickly, which ups the price. Isn't it sad that I dream about the day when I can hire a virtual assistant? It's odd because I want one but I'm not very good at delegating, so I'm not even sure what tasks I'd assign out. Just writing this comment has been enlightening, actually. I seriously need to start being less like Dave!

  3. I relate to everything you said, NS! Sara is going to re-work my website, but I need to hire a pro within the next few months to do the same thing … move it on to a new level. I'm terrible at delegating, too!

  4. Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your site. You have some really good articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d
    really like to write some material for your blog in exchange for a
    link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested.
    Thanks!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *