Last night I was asked as owner of The Studio – A Place for Learning to serve on a panel to share “The 3 Most Important Things I Learned the 1st Two Years in Business”. The meeting was hosted by the Valley Entrepreneur Network, a regional networking group of business owners. I was proud to be asked to speak along with Rick Novak, owner of Royal Cinemas and Royal Bowling, and Jeff LeHew, owner of Via Satellite. It was an interesting mix of businesses both in type and size. Here is part of what I shared that works for me at The Studio:
- Enthusiasm is contagious. If you are truly excited about what you are doing your clients/customers will be too. And they will want to be a “part” of it.
- M*A*K*E a Plan. Don’t be afraid to MODIFY what you are doing if it is not working. Change course. Continually ADD new programs and classes. Experiment with new ideas. Review regularly what you are doing and KEEP what works and ELIMINATE what doesn’t. Be realistic. If it’s not bringing in income spend your time on something that will.
- Marketing takes a lot of time but in this day and time not as much money as it once did. If you are willing to work at it social media is inexpensive and a great way to share your business to an interested population. Trust your instincts on where to spend time marketing. You know your business better than anyone so you probably know best what your customers read or listen to so you know best how to reach them.
It was hard to limit my remarks to just three things! For anyone who has started a business you know that you learn something new everyday! But there is nothing like doing something you enjoy and sharing it with others which is my case.
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