11-20 –13 Being passionate about what you do – Part 2

Often, when I’m thinking about what to write in my Blog, the stories I’m writing about local businesses provide me with my theme.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of being passionate about what you do and how that provides energy and motivation that are great engine drivers for your success as a business owner.

The inspiration for this week’s Blog came from Jess and JP Dowdell, the owners of the Roaming Radish in Freeland.  While I was interviewing them a couple of weeks ago for a story that I was writing for The Business Buzz, the word “passionate” came up several times.  The two of them work more than full time preparing their catered foods and, recently, operating a restaurant three nights a week.  They recognize that their work allows them little time to do anything else, but when asked about this, each immediately responds, “I love my work!”

As I interview people for the business stories that I write, I am continually impressed with the long hours business owners put in…..and how most of the people with whom I talk say, “I love what I do!”

11-14-13 The Paint Escape is a unique business in Freeland

I’ve written before about the value of having a business that is different.  I always ask business owners to describe what is special or unique about their business since this is an essential element to doing good marketing.

A week ago, my husband and I had our two little granddaughters up for a day.  While 2-year old Zoe was napping, I needed to find something to do with 5-year old Kylie.  The weather was chilly, so this wasn’t a good walk-on-the-beach or visit-a-playground time.

Then I remembered a place I had visited with my three daughters several years ago: The Paint Escape on Main Street in Freeland,  a paint-your-own-pottery store.  I still have some beautiful serving dishes created by them.

Here is Kylie focused on painting “Rainbow” (her name) before it was fired and became a beautiful creation:

This store offers an experience not available anywhere else on Whidbey, and the owners, Tina Beard and Susan Barrat, are doing an excellent job marketing the store to individuals and to groups.  It’s a great place for a child’s or an adult’s Birthday party, or simply a place for friends to share a delightful time.

Having a unique business, and knowing how to market that uniqueness, will pay off.

11-7-13 Being passionate about what you do can really help your business

Recently, as I have been interviewing people for stories on Whidbey Local (www.whidbeylocal.com/carolyn) , I have heard the word “passionate” repeated many times.

In these blogs, I have offered many marketing suggestions for building your business.  But I honestly believe that nothing is more powerful than being passionate about what you do.  When you are passionate your enthusiasm radiates to everyone you contact.

People who have a business often work long hours and invest a lot of money, time and energy to make their business a success.  If you are passionate about what you do, the “work” becomes a source of great pleasure and satisfaction or even fun.

11-1-13 If a town has a special personality it is a more inviting place to shop

My husband and I just came back from a trip to Oregon.  We went to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland (which I highly recommend) and stopped off in Cannon Beach on our way home.

Of course, Ashland is renowned for its theater and the businesses in this small city support this theme.  But, I really noticed Cannon Beach, which I have visited several times before.  There are less than 2,000 people in this town, and it is certainly a tourist destination, but the community has done a great job of maintaining a look and feel for its business district that invites people to wander and shop.

I feel like we’re doing a good job building the look and feel of Langley and Coupeville so that they invite tourists and locals to visit the businesses.  Freeland is also developing more businesses that will appeal to tourists and locals, but it hasn’t created it’s “look” yet.

In my mind, so much of America has been homogenized, so that you can drive from place to place and see all of the same kind of malls and all of the same businesses.  I really appreciate visiting a place that has its own look and feel.

10-24-13 Three simple concepts to know about marketing your business

When you’re thinking about how to spend your marketing dollars, it’s wise to begin with the knowledge of these three concepts:

 1)      It is always easiest to sell more to those who are already buying your product or service;

2)      You are more likely to sell to new customers who are much like the customers you already have; and

3)      It is hardest to sell to new people about whom you have little information.

Item 1 assumes that you do everything to keep your customers happy so they’ll want to keep coming back to you.

Item 2 is based on the idea that the kinds of people who really appreciate you, what you sell, and how you do business are likely to want to do business with you….once they know who you are.

Item 3 acknowledges it can be very expensive to simply place an advertisement without knowing details about the audience that will see the advertisement.

So, two wise ways to use your advertising dollars are to promote your business to current satisfied customers and to ask your customers for referrals to others they think will want to do business with you.