Meet the founder of Supportal Business Services

I’m Chloe Jessamy, a mother of one and business owner of two - Supportal Business Services, which provides virtual assistance and digital marketing support, and Clutter Cutdown, a professional organising and decluttering service.

I love order and organisation, as well having a keen eye for detail. All of which makes me driven enough to build my brands, but allows me to be flexible enough to enjoy quality family time, which I cherish. My daughter and my businesses I am most proud of in my life and managing to juggle the two is my greatest achievement!

What’s the most common problem your customers approach you with?

My customers, for both businesses, are victims of their own success. They are successful, but time poor. They have come to the realisation that they can’t keep all of the balls in the air by themselves and that they need to outsource the tasks that they are less good at themselves to a professional who can take that burden away.

Whether it is the owner of a business who wants to expand but can’t afford full-time members of staff and to rent more office space or a top professional who simply doesn’t have the time or inclination to declutter their home, even though they would benefit hugely from it being more relaxing and calm.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

You can’t do everything and, more importantly, you shouldn’t try to do everything. You can’t be the best in the world at all the jobs needed to build a business, so concentrate on where your passions lie and where your time is most effectively spent.

Anything else you can outsource to professionals who get the job done properly and allow you to play to your strengths.

What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?

Be visible and stand out. Build your brand and harness the power of social media. Network, network, network and make an impression. When you work with a client, it is a two-way street. If you can get referrals for them, and they can get referrals for you then everybody wins. If you can do this with all the clients you work with, you will be in a very healthy position with a community of goodwill behind you.

What plans do you have for Supportal Business Services over the next two years?

Supportal is really focussing in on specific areas of the business now and that will continue over the next two years. I want to help empower women in business through digital marketing, business branding and making the most of Instagram to bring in custom.

For Clutter Cutdown, it is all about building my client list and targeting those high-value, time-poor professionals who would really benefit from my service.

How important is company culture and what is your top tip to get it right?

By the nature of my businesses, I work with a team of skilled contributors who all bring their individual strengths to the work I do. Because we are all spread out, it is difficult to meet up, but having strong, clear lines of communication and a robust and well-built productivity app that we can all collaborate on helps us all work together in harmony.

What do you think gives a brand longevity?

The ability to adjust and adapt helps to keep the brand going and building. All of the biggest brands move with the times and feel their way through, without fearing changing direction. As soon as you get stuck in your old ways and become too scared to try something new, the world passes you by quickly.

You have to roll with the punches and move with the times. Your goals shift as you learn more and as the market changes. Who knew we would be where we are today even in the first two months of this year?

You can’t be flatfooted in business, you need to seek out the opportunities as and when they arise, and they tend to pop up in different places. If that means changing your plans and reassessing your goals, then so be it.

What social media channel would you say has worked the best for your business and why? 

Given the work I am doing with Supportal on empowering women to build their brand through Instagram, I would have to go for that network! Visuals are so important in today’s constantly scrolling society - you need to stand out to make people pause and find out more, and Instagram is the perfect platform for pictures and videos. There are so many tricks and features you can delve into to make your feed pop, and I love sharing those with my clients.

What would be your top marketing tip, to grow a business that is niche? 

Be bold and use every trick in the book you can to grab the attention of others in your or similar niches. Tag them, comment on their posts, follow their followers and interact with them too. Being social is the key to getting your brand seen by the people who are already interested in the thing that you do. You can target audiences so specifically nowadays, there’s no excuse not to.

How do you believe the evolution of tech will affect your industry over the next 10 years?

People are working, living and playing online more than ever nowadays and that will continue, which suits the digital marketing area of my business. You have to have a standout presence and that is only going to be more important over the next decade. I can help with that. 

The ability to work more and more remotely is an area in which virtual support will become even more necessary. Business owners looking to keep a keen eye on their budgets want someone to swoop in when needed to solve their problems and that is what we specialise in.

What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?

Are you using your time wisely? If you are trying to perform all the duties in your business, the chances are that there are tasks that you are labouring over that are taking you away from the more important aspects that you are passionate about, that drive your business forwards and that bring in the money. 

If that sounds like you, I know someone who can help ;-)