WEEK 3: Connection is Key!
Hi everybody! I am happy to report that I had all 3 of my interviews this week and they went great! Here is a little recap of my interviews this week:
If you are in need of a photographer, I would 100% recommend Dalaney and her small business Dalaney Mason Photography! I was able to meet with Dalaney on Monday over the phone and we talked a lot about how her business has changed over time. She started this photography business as just a creative outlet and she just wanted to do what she loved. But, after about 6 years of being in business, her focus is on loving and serving her clients to the best of her abilities. She tries to provide style guides and location guides and get to know you surveys so that she can differentiate herself from other photographers in the area, making her seem more personable! At the start of her business, she would take any job that came her way so that she could spread the word, but she has since been able to narrow down what styles she does. She focuses on couples and marriages, as well as some portraits, but she hopes to be fully focused on marriages in the future. When I asked her what her biggest learning experience, her response was that she learned to be proud of herself for everything she has done, and she realized how much she could do all by herself!
I was also able to meet with Matt at Prescott Commercial Real Estate, who was recently nominated for Best Commercial Real Estate Office with Prescott Now! He and his wife are very hopeful for the future, and they hope to control a lot of Northern Arizona’s Real Estate! They have owned many small businesses in the past, yet this one was a success right out of the gate! When talking about his competition, he stated that “you keep your next move pretty close to your heart” and never let people know what you plan on doing next. He has had instances where he has told people what he is planning on doing next, and his competition has been able to play out his next move before he could! So lesson of the day is to always keep your next move a secret from your opponent, and treat every seller and buyer with respect!
My last interview was with Joe at Campgrounds Tea and Coffee. His philosophy with his business is that they will see what happens and whatever sticks, they will go with it! This business is hoping to move out of the trailer and move into a building! When talking about finding new employees, Joe pointed out that he could teach anybody how to make the drinks, but he could not teach anybody to have a good attitude and be cheerful! So, for him, being a people person is a big part of being a business owner! He is not really into the whole competition thing, but in order to differentiate his business from other coffee shops, he makes all of his syrups from scratch! The biggest focus for Joe with his coffee shop is that he wants to bring the community together, and he loves being able to talk to people and connect with others. Joe loves talking to people, and that was evident during our time together!
With my business plan, I did not make any progress this week. I reached out to a second group of people hoping to set up more interviews, and I have gotten so many more replies! I have also found a way to keep all the data I am collecting in an organized manner. I will start focusing more on my business plan and I will let you guys know my progress next week! Thanks for checking in and have a good week!