Have you ever featured an interview with a business owner on your blog or in a case study? It can be a fun topic to do. The secret is keeping it real. You want readers to relate to the business owner.

The interview suggestion was one of 30 ideas offered in a post here.

But what if the business owner is you?

That’s the case for me. So, for this post, I ended up talking to myself. No men in white coats have come for me – yet. So I thought I’d update this post from its original 2010 publication.

The interview idea can work – even if your entire business is you.

Below are tips on how you can make it work for your business.

The Business Owner Interview

To prove I’m not the only one talking to myself, I borrowed this line from a very funny and creative writer, Kenn Crawford, and his Bayou Billy character —

The Interview: Meet Cathy Miller

Interviewer: How long have you been a writer?

Cathy: That depends on your definition of “writer.” I have been writing in journals as long as I can remember.

Because I thought I should have a “real” job, I worked Corporate America for a lot of years. Mostly in the health care/employee benefits industry. Yet even there I managed to sneak in my writing. I have been writing professionally for over 30 years.

The Corporate Years

Interviewer: How did you manage to “sneak in writing” in your Corporate jobs?

Cathy: When I worked for insurance companies, I wrote training manuals, provider marketing brochures, sales and provider newsletters, that kind of thing.

When I moved into consulting and brokerage work, I wrote reports and eventually moved into managing communications for sales and client services.

Taking the Freelance Leap

Interviewer: When did you transition to owning your own business?

Cathy: In November of 2008 – right smack dab in the middle of one of the worst financial times in this country. Well, at least before a global pandemic hit. I never said I was strategic.

Interviewer: Do you regret your timing?

Cathy: Not at all. I don’t think I had a choice. I wanted to be an independent, full-time writer for a long, long time.

Interviewer: What type of writing do you do?

Cathy: Good question as I’m going through a transition period. I am now semi-retired from business writing. Because of my background, I specialized in the healthcare and employee benefits industries.

Most of my business writing involved ghostwritten projects in various formats. Everything from white papers to case studies, sell sheets, and ebooks. You name it, I probably wrote it.

The Writing Transition

Interviewer: So, what are you doing now?

Cathy: I keep my hand in business writing; however, on a limited basis. I love the work and the clients I still write for. However, I shifted the focus of Simply Stated Business (SSB) from a showcase for my business writing to a source for anyone wanting ideas for creating better business communication.

I offer what I call a Triple Treat of Tips, Tools, and Templates. It’s very much a work in progress, much like me.

Interviewer: How so?

Cathy: I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Like every writer I’ve ever known, I want to write the next great novel. Or a book that moves people. I’m a caregiver for my mom so I’m trying to balance and make it work.

Interviewer: This has been a fascinating interview. I want to thank you.

Cathy: Oh, believe me, the pleasure has been all mine.

How to Make This Work for You

If you’re looking for business blog topics or material for marketing collateral, an interview offers a great deal of potential.

With the one idea – an interview with a business owner – you have multiple choices —

Consider talking to yourself.  Some of the brightest people do. 😉 It could turn out to be your favorite subject.

Done right, interviewing yourself offers readers a peek at the human side of you and your business. The insight may surprise you about what’s important to you.

• What interview ideas do you have?
• Have you tried something different?
• Please share your ideas in Comments.

Note:This June 16, 2021 post updates the original that published on November 10, 2010.

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