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Interview with Lynn Terry
Owner of Self Starter's Weekly Tips
Dot Com Woman Of The Month (AUGUST 2003)
 "Is
life worth living? That depends on the liver - Anon"
For a woman who sold everything (her shoes, the pictures
off the walls, most of her furniture - you name it!) to open an
electronic shop with her husband, only to be left alone when the
business took off, LYNN TERRY is, at the age of 30, unusually
popular, successful and at peace with her life. She enjoys being a
single mother to two kids and sharing joys and sorrows with her 91
year old Grandmother over a cup of coffee.
This 'Self-Made' woman has left a strong mark on my mind and
will always continue to inspire me. The rough paths in her life have
only made her feet stronger and brought her the well-deserved success
in life. She owes a lot of her success to the supporting Online
Community and is giving back all she can to in the form of - Self
Starter's Weekly Tips. Dot Com Women wishes her the best in life!
"Whatever your dream is... I encourage
you to make it a reality." - Lynn Terry
1. Tell us about your life before
the Internet stormed into it?
Taking you back to 1996: I was married, working as a Unix System
Administrator for a small local company and raising a blended family
of four children (one mine, two his and one ours). I left that job to
start my first business, an electronics shop… and had a nice little
PC sitting in my home-office for accounting and inventory.
2. And how did the date with the
Computer and WWW come about?
I originally “dialed up” to research parts and vendors.
Immediately I realized the potential with this access, and learned
everything that I could about computers and the internet. Within six
months I began offering computer training and web design on the
side… and by the end of our first year in business I was rewriting
the business plan and moved us into a large commercial building in
the city.
3. What led to the launch of 'Web Service Network' and
'Self-Starters Weekly Tips'?
Web design, internet marketing and computer training quickly
became my passion, and so Web Service Network became a stand alone
business in late 1997. When my husband and I divorced, I gave him the
electronics shop and continued to manage WSN from my own home office.
Despite all obstacles, I was determined to succeed with it…
Self-Starters Weekly Tips is a much newer project of mine, being
just under two years old. It was about this time that I noticed a
growing number of people were taking advantage of the software and
books and resources available to design their own websites...
I began publishing Self-Starters Weekly Tips by email each week -
genuinely helping this group grasp it faster, do it better, and have
more success with it. After all, I was a do-it-yourself'er - a
self-starter - at one time myself (and still am in many ways!). Real
quick this little publication became my second passion... and a
second source of income. I offer my tips - my trade secrets, if you
will - for free... and many of the resources are even free for the
subscriber as well. It turned out to be the best business decision
I've made in a long time... and the long list of testimonials from
loyal subscribers alone makes it all worth it.
 4.
What were your experiences as a WOMAN in the Online business?
In the beginning my focus was offline and local clients, for the
most part. I became more involved with the Online end of my business
once I moved WSN to my home office… and I was fortunate enough to
get involved with some very supportive email discussion groups and
online communities that had a focus on Women in Business. There has
been a dramatic rise in woman-owned businesses and home-based
businesses in the last five years, resulting in more support and
resources than ever. This gave me a great starting point as a new
business owner, and played a vital part in my success with WSN
online.
5. Did Lady Luck smile on you
almost immediately or you had to struggle for it?
LOL – Well, I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a few
months and pretty much sold everything that I owned to start the
business. I have to admit that I was young, inexperienced and pretty
much just full of excitement… and had that feeling of being
invincible that you have in the very beginning. So while, yes, I did
struggle, make sacrifices and put a lot of hard work into it… I can
also say that Lady Luck was definitely on my side through it all.
6. How did being a 'Single Parent' affect your business?
This was a huge adjustment for me, and I ended up restructuring my
business completely. It was at this point that I needed to be at home
more and meeting with clients or teaching classes less. I focused
more on my online end of the business and eventually got away from
the local offline business altogether. This allowed me to be more
flexible with the children and their schedules, and more productive
during the hours I set aside for my work.
7. What difference did you find
between doing business online and offline?
The biggest difference for me was time and productivity.
Communication is streamlined and efficient online, versus offline
where I felt distracted from my tasks by the telephone and walk-in
customers.
 8.
Lynn was recently interviewed at the Mary
Goulet show. Lynn, please tell us about your experiences at the 'Mary
Goulet Show'.
Mary Goulet is a dynamic host with a great show! I first heard the
show when Mary was interviewing Cheryl Demas of WAHM.com and was
instantly hooked on the concept of Internet Talk Radio. It has been
fun, a huge learning experience, and a great new way to share my
information with a larger audience.
9. Who are/were the people who
are/were instrumental in your success?
Cheryl Demas of WAHM.com, and all of her members, are at the
beginning of this list. I joined her email discussion list in 1997
and found it to be the most resourceful and supportive group
available at the time.
More recently, Nancy Johnson and Michelle Sepelak of the Womans
Networking Community… another wonderful group of women that have
been both encouraging and supportive as I continued to grow my
business online.
… and Mark Farmer, of TotalLifeSuccess.com . Mark is a success
coach and host of the 21-day Challenge event. I participated in the
May Challenge this year for the first time and can honestly say that
this is a life-changing event. Mark has been a huge inspiration to
me, and was the one that encouraged me to “think big” and move
past my self-imposed limitations.
My list here could go on and on, including Sharon & Roy
Montero for their help in SEO, Rebecca Hagel for enlightening me on
“The Missing Link” in e-business and for being a supportive
friend, Mike Merz for his outstanding articles and insight on
Affiliate Marketing, Mary Goulet for her personal support and for the
radio publicity, and all of the members of the SSWT Forum who
continue to participate in the growth and success of our community…
to name a few
10. What is the real 'Lynn' like
when she is not a 'business woman' and is with her family?
I can usually be found making up new dances with my six year old
daughter, flipping grilled cheese’s for the troop of boys my son
has over for the weekend, or having coffee with my Grandmother as we
exchange stories about life and business. {smile} I have a good
life… and I am thankful for that.
11. May we have Lynn's final word on 'Women' and 'Business'?
Whatever your dream is... I encourage you to make it a reality.
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