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Business Owner Interviews
We Learn by Asking
John Davis
Certified Business Coach
BUILDING A BULLISH BUSINESS
The Owner:
The Owner: Vann Brown | Brown Ox Ventures
The Business & Owner
The target market for Brown Ox Ventures is 3.5 million truckers that serve the USA and Canada by delivering the products they want. Vann Brown built the business by visiting truck shows to understand their problems and apply his product development experience with chemicals in the textile industry to address those issues.
The original product was a tire mounting lubricant that protects the bead of the tire where it contacts the wheel. Because of its snotty consistency it became known as “BullSnot” and Vann was the BullSnot guy. After trademarking BullSnot in 2005 the company now sells their 14 products through 2,000+ retail locations nationwide and serves the truck industry, major OEM manufacturers, and even the consumer market.
The Challenges
My discussion with Vann led to several different challenges that have been addressed or are in process. These challenges have occurred in the following areas:
Decisions
Product Development
Vann’s background was in product development so his approach here is no surprise. His solution is to talk to the end users. By attending many trade shows around the country, he has built a practice of talking to the end users to understand their challenges and what works and what does not work. By understanding their pain points he has determined what problems are most important to be solved as well as which ones he can provide a unique solution for. When he has a solution, he also has an inherent base of proponents for his solution. We’ll touch on that more when we get to Marketing.
Financial & Personal Resources
When Vann realized he had a viable business he took the opportunity to go “all in” with his financial resources. Likewise, he invested the time. We discussed the willingness and commitment required to start a business includes the commitment to put in 80-hour weeks when it is most critical. In time a successful business will allow the owner to work shorter weeks. However, an owner must make that effort and believe in their mission so they can succeed. He shares his friends talk about their 40 hour a week job, to which he responds he too use to have a part time job too.
Marketing
Vann built a group called “The Posse”. This group supported the product development but also became a select group of proactive raving fans that support his marketing that is primarily word of mouth. One example is a professional trucker and country singer, Tony Justice. He is active in social media with a large following. The trucking industry relies heavily on word of mouth to adopt new products. Receiving the support of engaged individuals has fueled the growth of the business.
Regulatory & Compliance
Brown Ox Ventures is impacted by regulatory oversight in 2 areas. Trucking/Transportation & Aerosols/Chemicals. This combination leads to a significant investment in time to understand and respond to the codes through technical bulletins, MSDS sheets and filings. With this time is a commitment to research the limitations and be creative in problem-solving to optimize costs. While these requirements create some barriers to entry, a smaller company needs to be very focused on their needs and solutions.
Supply Chain
More recently the supply chain is an issue in raw materials. This has required Vann to forecast demand 12 months in advance. Also, he needs to reconsider chemical alternatives to maintain the performance and availability of the products.
Outcomes
Product Development
Brown Ox has developed 14 products in less than 20 years. After the BullSnot product he moved to glass cleaner (Viz-A-Bull) to remove love bugs from the front of trucks followed by tire shine, aka Tire Butter (Shine-A-Bull). A key for him is that every product has to work within 15 seconds. Any longer than that and the end users get frustrated and move on. The tire shine solution was interesting to me. I learned that most use a synthetic oil which also attracts dirt and sense a “sling” of oil onto the vehicle body. The Brown Ox product uses a polymer that repels the dirt and works in a thin layer that eliminates the residual sling of product onto the vehicle. You can see all of their products here: https://brownox.com/product/custom-case/
Financial & Personal Resources
From Vann’s investment of his resources (time and money) he has built a business that distributes products in over 2,000 locations in the US and Canada. This includes truck stops like TA Petro, Love’s, nationwide, as well as retailers like Cabela’s, Bass Pro, and Bomgaars Supply. He shared TA Petro https://www.ta-petro.com/ is a huge supporter of his company and they enthusiastically support small business and Made in the USA products. Be sure to visit them to find and try the products.
Marketing
As shared above Brown Ox’s herd of BullSnot products is available in over 2,000 locations. What is even more impressive is the quantity of raving fans. By being open and approachable he has had customers volunteer to work the booth for him at truck shows around the country. An example of how Vann shares his personal phone number with everyone. He has found that they respect his privacy and will only call when they truly need something. As a result, his customers are members of his organization that do the marketing on his behalf.
Regulatory & Compliance
Vann has put in the work here. By engaging with the industry and regulators, such as the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), FMSCA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), and the White House OMB (Office of Management & Budget) working on behalf of the trucking and chemical industries discussing pending regulations that impacted these industries. Further, Vann ensures that the herd of products are compliant with all federal and state regulations. This includes all 50 states and Canada. This is a daunting task when dealing with aerosols. However, aerosols are the best delivery method for his chemicals and provide the best value to his customers. For example, Vann shared with me that delivering chemicals to a surface in an aerosol leads to greater coverage and effectiveness in a much thinner layer.
Another output of his understanding of the regulations is the product is packaged in such a way that it falls within a FMSCA exception rule that allows him to cut shipping costs in half.
Supply Chain
By being proactive he has been able keep material available and maintain product performance. A deep understanding of chemicals and alternatives has been key.
Takeaways
Vann has several habits that he states are critical to his success thus far and going forward.
Finally, I also must share that Vann sent me a test package. I can tell you they each do everything promised. See photos of a few minutes working on my truck. Note it is 6 years old so there are some chips that cannot be cleaned.
Glass Cleaner - Before
Glass Cleaner - After
Tire Butter - Before
Tire Butter - After
All in all, Vann Brown has a great story. He leveraged his experience and commitment to build a business that has a community of raving fans. He recognizes business ownership isn’t always easy. Applying intellect, hard work, creativity, and relationship building he taking on the big chemical companies and doing well, and that’s no bull.
To learn more about Brown Ox, their products, and approach to growing the business you can use these links.
Email: brownoxventures@gmail.com
Website: https://brownox.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/brown-ox-ventures/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vann-brown-39330711/
FOCUS YOUR MARKETING
The Owner:
The Owner: Pete Kane | Focus Your Marketing
The Business & Owner
Focus Your Marketing lives up to its name by providing marketing services in a very specific area of brand building. There are two areas they provide to businesses and business leaders to improve their online presence. The first service is the assist the business leader to optimize their online persona. The second service, which is a subset of the first, is to support the business leader to author books in their professional field.
Pete Kane has been running this business full time for 5 years. His primary customer(aka Target Audience) is businesses which focus on solving the problems of their customers. While this appears to be a broad market it is typically through trades (construction, pluming, electrical), professional services (accounting, legal) and personal services (real estate, home cleaning, etc).
The Challenge
Anyone doing online marketing is aware of the various sources like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google, and of course the World Wide Web in general. To optimize these marketing tools requires a high level of diligence and engagement to stay on top of the algorithms used to determine which content is seen most often.
Those in this field recognize that the situation changes daily. Most marketing firms talk about getting to the 1st page of Google. It can take a lot of work and money to get there. What Pete realized was it also takes a lot of effort to stay there. This has become the battleground top for most marketing companies. This dynamic created the opportunity for Focus Your Marketing to specialize in a more stable area of online marketing, the owner’s persona.
Decisions
#1: Pete has opted to focus instead on the root information source that all of these marketing efforts and programs claim to leverage. By choosing to focus on the presentation of the owner’s profile, instead of the pathways to the profile, they can provide a more evergreen solution with lasting value and reasonable effort.
Updating and maintaining the profile of the professional behind the business is a more stable aspect and frankly provides greater value. After all, if you master the algorithm but the profile does not deliver the presence needed to succeed then what is to be gained?
#2: His decision to support the book writing endeavor was a bit opportunistic but it’s a great extension of his core service to work on brand building. His company has a process that allows a leader to articulate their solution to a problem in their industry and turn it into a book. By authoring a book, they instantly increase their credibility in their community and target audience. By positioning themselves as an expert they increase the quantity of prospects and closing rate.
#3: Again, staying true to the company name, Pete has been to be selective on the clients he takes on. When meeting a prospect, he works to understand if they are willing to lean into his services. If they are not highly motivated then he does not stress or exert extreme effort on the pursuit. As a result, he has a more motivated client base that earns better results.
Outcomes
As a result of having a Unique Selling Proposition with a simple recruiting and additional solutions Pete can operate a business that serves a need in the market with little stress.
Takeaways
What I really like about Pete’s approach is his desire to keep it simple. Keep your business in a position that can be explained in 30 seconds or less. Also, I learned his focus on the 80/20 rule, a favorite of mine and desire to focus on the numbers of his business.
With respect to the core coaching principles, it is worth noting that he has Mastered several key areas of his business.
● Understand your Money and financial return
● Understand your Time
● Clarify your Customer Delivery Experience
With these foundational elements in place its not surprise that Pete has built a successful business.
To contact Pete Kane and learn more ways to Focus Your Marketing, you can reach out here:
Email: pete@digitalgrowthatl.com
Website: https://digitalgrowthatl.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petekane/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DigitalGrowthAtl
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT3TsQdKX75wcyDsr9WqyZg
BUILDING TRUST TO SIMPLIFY THE COMPLEX
The Owner:
Christina Sabine Rebel-Otterbach | CRO Management Consulting
The Business & Owner
Through the power of social media, and LinkedIn specifically, I came to meet Christina Sabine Rebel-Otterbach who is the owner of CRO Management Consulting. Christina’s business is an Atlanta based advisory firm that serves customers with annual revenue between $3M to $100M in a variety of industries. Often they are headquartered in European countries that are German speaking and are businesses that have been in successful in growth and looking for the next steps to advance. In Christina’s words:
Their pain points evolve around financial transparency, unsatisfactory profitability, growth and leadership challenges, ineffective processes. Maybe a re-organization or ownership change is on the horizon. Taking the perspective of a CFO, we are committed to transform them successfully and sustainably by making sure they have the basics right and are prepared for growth and exit.
She founded her business in 2011 and leverages her degrees and certifications, such as MBA, CEPA, CVB™, to support business owners and leaders during stages of growth, transition, with the need for leadership or to accomplish specific goals requiring Strategy, Finance, Management and Operational leadership expertise.
Her career includes experience with rapidly growing and fast-changing globally operating organizations in Europe and the US where she has assisted them as their Managing Director, General Manager, CFO, Finance Director or external consultant. The industries include High-Tech, Pharmaceutical Consulting, Manufacturing, Automotive Supplies, Sustainable Pest Control/Fine Chemicals, Professional Services, and Real-Estate.
To illustrate the CRO Management Consulting value proposition is best to use an example of prior work.
The Challenge
A Europe-based service provider offers Development Consulting, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Management, and Pharmacovigilance services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. This company required integration of 7 US legal entities into one (legal and organizationally) scalable and efficient organization which includes globally over 2,000 employees and 50 worldwide offices.
If anyone has ever worked in a company that integrated just 2 businesses of any size can imagine the complexity of this task. The variety and volume of data, data systems, people, and cultures are immense. Brining these variables together requires countless decisions to move forward for the future of the organization.
Decisions
Christina reported to the Group CEOs and partnered with the Corporate Development Manager based in Germany. Collectively they worked with various work stream leads and project teams.
To get started they analyzed the current business in the variety of ways:
· Operational data through due diligence information
· Regional and Operational footprints through face-to-face visits
· Reviewed current organization design (org charts), operational systems and benefit solutions and assessed talent pool
By partnering with the EU-based Development Manager, they created an integration team that represents all major functions of the business in the EU and the US.
The project leadership and integration team then engaged with the current CEOs to design the future state organization which included definition of the organization chart, legal structure, job description and business objectives. The result was a project integration schedule that was adhered to and included communication to the company’s leaders from a strategic and financial perspective. It stretched over 9 months and included tasks for each major function with due dates and desired results.
Outcomes
The outcome was one legal entity for PharmaLex US established in the States, one defined accounting, operations and controlling followed by the assembly of a post-merger leadership team equipped with skills and experience to grow the organization sustainably. For the selection of the leadership team members the capabilities of the existing leadership team candidates were screened and missing talent was added and hired through the help of external recruiting partners.
Ultimately Christina was asked to stay on as the Managing Director for the US Operations until the organization was able to recruit the permanent successor almost 24 months later.
When I asked why they needed her to stay on, I learned what she really brought to the customer.
• Ability to quickly acquire In-depth knowledge and understanding of the integrated companies
• Commitment to find solutions in challenging circumstances
• Ability to work with challenging stakeholders (shareholders, employees, clients and suppliers)
• A highly structured approach to address open-ended issues
• Proactive attitude, diligence, & work ethic in an independent manner
• Ability to synthesize complex information to create an action plan for senior management
• Demonstrated ability to gain trust and respect by delivering results
Today the client is continuing to grow through acquiring additional businesses, which benefit from the established infrastructure, allowing them to grow quickly and sustainably.
Takeaways
Having been in similar environments I am very impressed with the role and results that CRO Management delivers. Mergers such as the one in this example involve a tremendous investment of time and money for the business. The risk and reward is dependent on making the right decisions for a majority of the questions asked.
It has been my experience that it is more important to have the TRUST of the organization. A sub-optimal strategic decision can be successful with a culture built on trust and collaboration. Conversely the best strategic plan will likely fail if the organization does not have a positive culture built on TRUST. For more information on this I highly recommend Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey.
Clearly Christina and CRO Management Consulting have experience and capabilities to assess complicated situations but having met Christina I think the hidden skill is likely on the people side of the business consultation.
If your larger business is looking for an advisor during major strategic shifts, I recommend reaching out to Christina and CRO Management Consulting. She can be reached in the following ways.
Email: cro@cromanagementconsulting.com
https://www.cromanagementconsulting.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinarebelotterbach/
Business Assessments, Educational Events, and Coaching are our core services.
Coaching offerings include dedicated 1 to 1 formats to gain focused attention or group formats that are more economical and include network building to learn with other business owners.
BROADWAY TO BROAD MENUS
MORSELS BY MELISSA | OWNER – Melissa Gunderson
The Business & Owner
Melissa Gunderson likes to say she attended ‘The School of Hard Knocks,’ rather than a traditional cooking school. She served in a number of chef and managerial roles in various restaurants, worked extensively with professional caterers, and even traveled the world as a private chef before returning to Atlanta in 2000 and launching her own catering company in 2007.
Why the switch? As a head chef, Melissa would spend three or more hours of a shift cooking an assortment of meals for individual customers. However, “What I love to do more is serve anywhere from 50 to 500 with the entrees, the desserts, doing everything together,” she says. “That’s what I love and that’s what I’m good at.”
In fact, Melissa loves cooking & the process so much she left a 10-year opera career to pursue it. “I like everything from the shopping to the preparation to the presentation and people saying, ‘Wow, that’s fantastic!’” she says. “Crossing over from the opera into food was a big bonus in terms of instant gratification.”
Morsels by Melissa does corporate lunches and dinners, as well as private parties with plated meals, buffets, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktail events. It also serves all ethnicities, such as Italian, French, Asian, and Southern comfort cuisine. They cook everything from scratch, including smoking their own meat.
“My company can do events with 100 to 350 people easily, and even larger if the facility has a kitchen big enough,” Melissa says. “But Morsels by Melissa considers itself a specialty catering company, in that we focus on the individual and what food is best suited for the event. We’re not cranking out six events per day.”
Alongside the catering, Melissa also creates monthly family meals that exist of à la carte items. She posts a menu and people order the prepared meals, then pickup or delivery is available. The meals are convenient for executives who don’t like to cook much or busy families that just don't have time. “The family meals are an excellent way for people to get fresh food, made just for them,” she says.
Morsels by Melissa gets its business almost exclusively through referrals and guests from previous events. “It’s quite often after someone’s eaten my food and seen the level of service at my events,” she says, “that then they reach out to me."
Challenge #1: The customer base & its needs changed.
Morsels by Melissa has two separate customer bases. The first is families celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, and even memorials. The second is the corporate world, where she does everything from cocktail parties to sit-down dinners for 150 to 300 people. However, both of these slowed considerably last year due to COVID, so Melissa had to shift.
Decision: Revert to a prior business model and provide more home meals.
One strategy that Melissa employed at the beginning of COVID was to offer more to her individual customers. It wasn’t a reactionary response as much as it was reaching out to her clients and asking what she could do to help.
“We increased the family meal orders to twice per month, because so many were wanting meals at home instead of going out to restaurants,” Melissa said. “That really seemed to help my customers, and also helped revenue for my company while the catering went to the wayside.”
Challenge #2: Reduce staff numbers during COVID.
She knows it sounds strange, but COVID came at the perfect time for Melissa’s business, in that she was going through chemotherapy and recovering from surgery during its height. Although she worked throughout her treatment and recuperation, it was at a much slower pace.
“COVID slowed down my business enough that I could keep up while I was healing” she says. “Because of it, I went from doing 30 events per month down to five. But with the family meals, I doubled my orders.”
Decision: Luckily, this challenge worked itself out.
Because of fewer events, less staff was needed. In fact, it was difficult to find people to help prep meals and to serve the few events they had, for several reasons. Some had elder family members that lived with them and therefore couldn’t be exposed. Some were concerned about their own exposure. And many of Melissa’s contract workers are restaurant staff or work full-time jobs elsewhere, and therefore were on unemployment and couldn’t work just once a week or once a month and risk losing assistance. Although it was difficult, Melissa didn’t have to worry about the lack of work she had to offer.
Challenge #3: Find two new staff members to maintain business.
Melissa has contract workers that work on an as-needed basis, either daily or weekly depending on the workload. The same goes for event servers and bartenders. “I’m the only full-time right now,” she says, “and unfortunately it’s been a challenge to find enough workers recently.”
However, with the nature of contract work and people changing careers or transitioning to full-time, Melissa says it’s not necessarily a new issue to have. “It’s kind of how it always is with my business, because I don’t need full-time employees,” she says. “People are always finding other gigs, but even though it’s not a new issue I need to start looking for some new people.”
Decision: Leverage successful marketing strategies, such as networking and word of mouth.
Melissa has used online hiring sites several times in the past with mostly unremarkable results. Often the candidates sound promising during interviews only to show up unprepared to do the job for which they’re hired. Or they simply don’t show up. “It’s difficult to find people both skilled and motivated to do this type of work,” she says. “Very often with servers and bartenders, I have to call on people I’ve known for years and can trust.”
Also, Melissa says employees come and go in the food industry, because many aren’t in it for the long haul. “So it’s nice when you do find that really hard worker that puts passion into their food and serving,” she says. “Because that’s the person you want to keep, and I’ve got several like that who’ve worked with me for 15 and 20 years and I just need to find a few more.”
The Takeaways
Melissa’s future depends on how big she wants to take the business and how she will maintain enough staff to do so. I believe a creative and thorough business plan will bring her the success she envisions.
“Sometimes I feel like if I’d started my business earlier in life, I’d have a huge catering company,” she says. “But I enjoy what I do on a daily basis, and I have the flexibility to spend time with my family, whereas a lot of other business owners don’t have that.”
But Melissa still dreams of perhaps one day having a larger catering business. She knows how to do it, but isn’t entirely sure she wants to grow exponentially.
“I would say 85% of the time I see the glass as half full,” she says. “I’m an optimist, I’m a hard worker, I have a lot of motivation to make money, and I just want to serve my customers as best I can.”
Find more information about Morsels by Melissa:
Website: www.morselsbymelissa.com
Phone: 678.357.2349
Email: morselsbymelissa@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Morsels-By-Melissa-776746869075463
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissa-morsels-by-melissa-768a7919
GWINNETT CHATT OUTREACH | OWNER – Ryan Cox
The Business & Owner
Gwinnett Chatt Outreach is a nonprofit organization looking to improve the lives of the underserved communities throughout Gwinnett County. As a former sous chef, founding director Ryan Cox created Gwinnett Chatt Outreach as a way to take action against the inequities he saw within his community. Launched in January 2020, it develops and conducts public service programs, with particular focus on area teenagers.
“We’re trying to change the trajectory of underserved communities,” Ryan says, “and stop and shrink that wage and poverty gap.”
The core focus of Gwinnett Chatt Outreach is to help teenagers navigate their future. Bridging the Gap is a program which exposes participating teens to various career opportunities through visits to area businesses and with personal meetings with local leaders of industry.
“I don’t want to pressure any of the kids into thinking they have to go to college. That’s not what I’m here for and they can make that decision for themselves,” says Ryan. “I feel like my job is to show them the different opportunities that are out there, whether they go to college or not.”
Challenge #1: Raise awareness about the organization.
Ryan’s goal for Gwinnett Chatt Outreach is to become a household name in Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta, and knows that community outreach is not just a way to give back to the community — but also a way to build brand awareness and get the word out about Bridging the Gap.
Decision: Build trust through philanthropy & community engagement.
The organization recently hosted its second annual ‘Box Fan & Water Donation’ event and gave away 500 box fans and cases of water. Ryan stresses the importance of stepping back and recognizing other people’s struggles.
“Senior citizens on fixed incomes may not have the money to run their air conditioner all day, so having a $20 box fan is a big deal,” says Ryan. “I always tell people when we do these events, ‘I’m not here to judge.’’’
Outreach like this gives Ryan the opportunity to meet new people, serve a need, and let others know about his organization and its programs like Bridging the Gap.
“I’m here to help the community the best way I can,” he says. “And I’m also letting them know about other ways we’re here to offer help.”
Challenge #2: Develop awareness within student participants about multiple career options.
Student participants range in age from high school freshmen to juniors, and to some Ryan has had to sell the idea of college tours. According to him, there are those who are told their entire lives that after graduation they’ll need to get a job — and although it’s not his place to change their minds, he wants them to at least be open to new possibilities.
Decision: Strengthen relationships & increase exposure.
Building relationships with these students opens their minds to all that’s possible.
“I’m just saying to them, ‘Hey, let’s at least go take a tour and see what it’s about, because I at least want you to leave that as an option if it’s something you might want to do,’” says Ryan.
Approximately 50 students are currently active in Bridging the Gap and receive updates about potential opportunities, which come up once or twice a week during the summer and then again during school breaks throughout the year. Events are usually limited to 5-6 kids per event and spaces are reserved by the students on a first-come first-served basis.
It requires strong relationships with both the student participants and their parents to make Bridging the Gap a successful program. First recruitment and then student retention is built upon honest communication between Ryan and the adults.
“I want these parents to know that their kids are safe, and for them to have all the information about what to expect, when to be ready, what to wear,” he says. “I also want to make sure the kids want to be there and it’s not just their parents forcing them to be there.”
Challenge #3: Expand company engagement.
Bridging the Gap’s success is largely dependent upon the participation of local businesses and corporate leaders and their support of the program. Not only do they offer new experiences and exposure about their area of industry, but they also fund their own events and additional community outreach.
“This money covers our transportation costs, lunches, program T-shirts, and remember that we’re a 501(c)(3) so it’s a donation that can be written off,” says Ryan. “I always say, ‘Rather than writing the check and being done, we’re coming to you so you’re seeing exactly where your money is going.’”
Because COVID affected many places of work and their ability to host group events, Ryan adapted a series Top Golf with Business Leaders, where his teens get to chat and play with local leaders in a low-stress environment. While he’s seen great results, Ryan looks forward to more events back on corporate campuses.
Decision: Utilize old-school networking.
Other than COVID limitations, Ryan hasn’t seen many barriers to developing business partnerships and finding hosts for Bridging the Gap tours. He relies on networking opportunities like Chamber of Commerce meetings, as well as the old fashioned way: going door-to-door.
“Sometimes I just prefer walking in the door of a company and telling them what we’re doing and just making the ask,” Ryan says. “I’d rather do that than to send an email and it get ignored real quick.”
The Takeaways
With his goal for Gwinnett Chatt Outreach to become a household name in Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta, what is Ryan’s greatest challenge? I believe it’s building enough awareness to make a difference. He will need to stay proactive and creative in his community engagement, but I believe Ryan has the heart and mind to reach these goals.
Find more information about Gwinnett Chatt Outreach:
Website: www.gwinnettchatt.org
Email: gwinnettchattoutreach@gmail.com
Facebook: @Gwinnettchatt
Instagram: @GwinnettChatt
Twitter: @ChattGwinnett
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-cox-89347665/
Focus on the WOW
The Business & Owners
According to owner Mike Chaney, “Quality plus speed equals, ‘WOW!’” and that is the motto for WOW 1-Day Painting. The company does exactly what its name suggests: it completes most painting projects in a single day.
With a background in human resources and finance, Mike became a business owner wanting to assemble the right team with one purpose: customer satisfaction.
“The nice thing about our company is that we do it with big crews,” says Mike. “We hire guys and teach them what WOW 1-Day Painting means, and they perform. And that’s how we’re growing our brand.”
WOW 1-Day Painting is franchised through O2E, whose brands also include 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Shack Shine. Like Mike’s WOW franchise, which debuted in December 2020, Shack Shine has a fairly new presence in the Atlanta market, as well.
Challenge #1: Efficient Time Management
Mike was lucky in that WOW was quick to take off, but unfortunately too quickly to have the proper team in place. In the beginning, jobs were booked and it was only Mike and one other painter. Now that a better team is set, though, Mike is still spending his Sundays trying to stay on top of administrative work.
Decision — Using his business culture and commitment to customer service, Mike continues to recruit the right people to the WOW team. Putting additional people in place will eventually allow him to delegate appropriate responsibilities elsewhere and focus on bringing in more business. “One of my 90-day goals is to find the right person to handle the administrative side,” says Mike, “so that I can pick up the marketing.”
Challenge #2: Candid Communication with Customers
While WOW 1-Day Painting implies a single-day job, at times the labor — such as painting the entire exterior of a home — may require additional days. “We’re not just a painting company,” Mike says. “We’re a customer service company that happens to paint, and that’s not something you can find anywhere else in Atlanta.”
Decision — The key is open and clear communication, right from the start. In fact, Mike says an honest conversation — communicated quickly — is the best way.
For each job, Mike’s team plans ahead for a smooth delivery and ensures every detail is done correctly. They also leave flowers when they go. “We believe the jobs that we do are important, and we want to make sure our customers know they are important, as well,” says Mike. “I believe that communicating with the customer is also the best way to generate more business.”
Challenge #3: Dynamic Hiring of the Proper Team
While other painting companies contract out, with WOW 1-Day Painting the consistency is key. Mike understands to get that consistency, he must assemble a team made up of employees who buy in to the company culture of customer satisfaction.
Decision — Mike is proactive in hiring, and visits area paint stores to get the word out about both his business and its hiring needs. He’s also successfully used a hiring agency to find good workers.“I don’t just sit around waiting for the resumes to come to me,” Mike says. “I go out there and hunt.”
Why is it important to hire people who are customer-service conscious, and who understand that they need to do a quality job for the customer every single time? Mike tells the story of a widow whose daughter hired them to paint the interior of the home, and as Mike left the flowers and thank-you card at the end of the day, the widow met him outside, crying. “This is my house,” she said, “and my husband passed away and I just want to thank you.” Mike believes every customer matters, and that what his company does matters, as well.
The Takeaways
Mike has experienced (and is still experiencing) some of the same challenges of many new business owners. In trying to do everything, he is figuring out what he can and can’t do. He is learning how to balance customer satisfaction with the reality of what can be accomplished in a given timeframe. He knows he needs a strong team and has figured out how to develop that team using the knowledge he gained in his previous career in human resources.
Ultimately, it’s Mike’s understanding of the value of a team, with members that are invested in his company & its mission, that will make this business successful.
Find more information about WOW 1-Day Painting
Website: www.wow1day.com/atlantanorth/
Email: michael.chaney@wow1day.com
Phone: 404.536.7055 | 888.WOW.1DAY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WOW-1-DAY-PAINTING-Atlanta-North-102653838562790
Reviews: Google Reviews
INSURANCE COVERAGE BY AGENTS WHO CARE
The Business & Owner
Caleb Greene, CLCS is not your typical insurance professional. For starters, he made the leap from contractor to brokerage owner smack dab in the middle of the pandemic back in October, 2020. In addition, not only is he committed to providing outstanding products--personal, commercial, life, and health insurances and benefits--and customer service to his clients, but also to the growth, development, and overall success of his agents.
Caleb knows what it’s like to be a “captive agent”, limited to one brand and one set of clientele as he once was, and he strives to give his agents more autonomy and opportunity to flourish.
“The kind of culture that we're trying to create is allowing these agents and producers to be able to move into the areas that they really want to move into and go after any market that they're passionate about,” he says.
This healthy work culture creates better engagement that translates into better business. The Evergreen Insurance Solutions story is filled with challenges met, opportunities fulfilled, and the chapters are still being written.
Challenges
Decisions & Outcomes
“I want my agents to feel secure about their income,” he says.
Lessons
Caleb learned a lot as an agent himself, and one of his biggest takeaways was that he wanted to form an agency that presented his agents with unlimited potential rather than being hamstrung and at the mercy of certain carriers, plans, products, and low commissions. Additionally, he’s recognized that the insurance landscape has evolved during COVID and will continue to.
What’s Next?
Caleb wants to continue to grow and develop his strategic partnerships with financial planners at Raymond James and Wells Fargo, as well as health insurance brokerages in Arizona, Ohio, and Texas that Evergreen Solutions could complement with other life, property, casualty, and commercial insurance plans.
“The possibilities are bigger than I can imagine,” he says. “You never know who you are going to meet and be introduced to. It's really exciting to think about.”
Contact Information
www.evergreeninsurancesolutions.com
office@evergreeninssolutions.com
(864) 915-8067
BRINGING CARIBBEAN FLAVORS TO YOU
The Business & Owner
From its name alone, one can draw the conclusion that Caribbean Flavors specializes in Caribbean cuisine. That’s true, but what owner Maggie Walwyn emphasizes is that there is a wide spectrum of Caribbean concepts to choose from.
“Not all Caribbean food is created equally,” she said. “We prepare food represented by many flavors and ingredients. If you’re from Puerto Rico, we can give you Puerto Rican rice. If you’re from Jamaica, we have jerk chicken.”
The Caribbean Flavors story began in 1993 when Leroy Walwyn Sr, a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, opened his first restaurant in Alabama. Its success inspired him to open a second location in North Carolina followed by a third in Atlanta. It’s no surprise that Leroy’s son, Leroy Jr. (AKA “Chef Leroy”) was bitten by the culinary bug, earning his degree in Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu. Upon graduating in 2007, Chef Leroy joined the family business, which eventually converted into a catering operation in 2012.
When the restaurants were open, customers flocked to them; now the Walwyn’s bring their authentic and diverse Caribbean fare, as well as Mediterranean, French, Latin-American, and southern culinary styles to them.
Challenges
Decisions & Outcomes
Lessons
The most prominent themes here are evolution and response. Caribbean Flavors evolved into an online and catering business and reached a broader audience by celebrating and educating customers on the wide range of Caribbean cuisine and offering dishes from other countries. They rebranded by making Chef Leroy the face of the company while paying homage to Leroy Sr. In addition, the family became intentional with social media marketing and hit a home run. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they hired people to help them grow.
“We kept thinking that we had to do everything ourselves,” said Maggie. “But we’ve let go of that and we’re giving people the opportunity to learn and assist.”
What’s Next?
Thinking even bigger, the Walwyn’s are exploring opportunities to distribute their products to grocery stores and other retail outlets. They are also considering partnering with food delivery companies like DoorDash to serve more customers. The ultimate goal is to have a presence back home in the Virgin Islands, bringing things full circle to where it all began.
Contact Information
cflavors.com
caribbeanflavors@cflavors.com
(340) 474-0215
SIMPLIFY YOUR LYFE
LAUNDRY LYFE – Suwanee, GA | OWNERS – Kashaun & Domonique Cooper
The Business & Owners: Laundry Lyfe is a premier laundry facility in Gwinnett County that provides solutions to a commonly dreaded chore. Opened in early 2021 by owners Kashaun and Domonique Cooper, Laundry Lyfe services include wash and fold, dry cleaning, and specialty items, such as comforters. To fit a diverse range of customer needs, it offers multiple subscription plans, single service washes, pricing levels, and customers can opt for same- or next-day delivery.
Laundry Lyfe also solves a common problem for those on business trips or vacations, and enables them to return home with freshly cleaned clothes rather than a suitcase filled with dirty laundry.
Kashaun, who describes himself as a man with an ‘entrepreneurial itch,’ says, “There are people who despise doing laundry, and we are there to provide a solution to a chore they tend to put off.”
Challenge #1: Identify the Target Market — Kashaun and Domonique are among many busy families in Gwinnett County, with kids involved in sports and the two of them being members of several organizations. They noticed how often people eat out at restaurants in Gwinnett, with the common thread being that they just don’t have time to cook. They decided if people don’t have enough time to cook, they really don’t have time to do laundry, either.
Decision — “We realized that if we felt this way, and we know there are other busy families out there, how about let’s start a business that will help solve this problem,” Kashaun says. “So busy families turn out to be our best customers and our best target market.”
Challenge #2: Find the Unique Selling Proposition — Before founding their business, the Coopers used a laundry service nearby — but the business didn’t offer pick-up and delivery. The Coopers often found themselves too busy for days to pick up their clean clothes — and it was there that they saw the opportunity.
Decision — Laundry Lyfe appeals to busy families whose children are involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, band, and academics and who need their laundry not only cleaned, but picked up and delivered directly to them.
Challenge #3: Determine the Delivery Mastery — Although it has a physical location, Laundry Lyfe has a large network of laundromats throughout Gwinnett County with which they partner to be sure its customers are 100% satisfied.
Decision — The Coopers spent weeks thoroughly examining and approving of the quality of work of its chosen network. Because ultimately, the customer will be either satisfied or dissatisfied with Laundry Lyfe itself — not with their partners.
Challenge #4: How to Estimate & Be Prepared For Your Success — In the beginning, Kashaun said one mistake he made was being a bit idealistic when it came to ordering too many laundry bags. But he and Dominique are also wary of taking on too much too quickly.
“We’ve learned that if you roll out too much all at once, you can get overwhelmed,” Kashaun says. “If you chase two rabbits at the same time, you’ll end up with none.”
Decision — Kashaun said they intentionally decided to roll out aspects of the business in a gradual process, such as different referral programs. They have the supplies, and now they can grow at the pace at which they want.
The Results
I tried Laundry Lyfe for the first time right before Mother’s Day and have since had my second service done, too. I fit their target market and they gave me a unique reason to try it out — and the delivery experience was terrific. In regards to long-term success, I think they’ll turn out great if they stick to these methods.
The Takeaways
Kashaun’s passion and entrepreneurial spirit give the energy to push the company forward, and together with Domonique’s creativity they jumped on the opportunity that presented itself. Laundry Lyfe targets a specific audience with a unique selling proposition: busy families who need their laundry not only cleaned but also delivered.
And although the Coopers are being intentional about the process to grow their business, the two of them have big plans for Laundry Lyfe. Kashaun believes that any business should ultimately dominate its market. “That’s our goal for Laundry Lyfe in that we’d like to be a household name,” Kashaun says. “Even if every household doesn’t use us, we still want to be familiar to these moms and dads."
Find more information about Laundry Lyfe:
Website: www.laundrylyfe.com
Phone: 678.250.4061
Address: 2090 Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, Ste. A-543 | Suwanee, GA 30024
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Laundry-Lyfe-104778598213235
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kashaun-cooper-3a04a329/
Instagram: @laundry_lyfe
Twitter: @LaundryLyfe
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/LaundryLyfe/
SIMPLE POWER FOR YOUR BUSINESS
JIREH SUPPLIES – Lawrenceville, GA, OWNER – Gene Byce
The Business & Owner: Jireh Supplies will be 27 years old this June. The business was started by Gene Byce as a distributer of batteries (you know…power) for microphones and gaffers tape. For many years Jireh Supplies was the largest non-medical Procell distributor in the country. The batteries are a special type made in a package for easy installation and handling. Gaffers tape is what you see at concerts to hold the miles of cables on the floor.
Initially they provided equipment to churches and did some advertising in magazines that with that readership. I have found several definitions for Jireh which is a Hebrew word meaning abundance, to see or to foresee. Most often it is used in the phrase Jehovah Jireh meaning God will provide.
The Challenge(s): Evolution has created new challenges and opportunities for Jireh and Gene. Some of these are:
The Decision(s): Gene shared how he responded to each of these changes in his business.
The Result(s): Each of these decisions has impacted the Jireh Supplies differently.
Takeaway(s): This is a great story and I am grateful for Gene taking the time to share the Jireh Supplies Stories. When reflecting on this I was struck with 3 simple statements that should be helpful for every business owner.
“Listen to your Customers.”
“Try new things.”
“Exceed Expectations.”
If you want to learn more about Jireh Supplies you can reach them here:
Website: https://www.jirehsupplies.com/
Phone: 800.478.2591
Address: 117 Buford Dr. Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jirehsuppliesinc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jirehmusicandmore/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jirehmusicmore
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jirehsupplies/featured
NEED SOME FREE ENERGY FOR YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS?
SOLAR GRIDS – Alpharetta, GA, OWNER – Walter Thomas
The Business & Owner: Solar Grids is a franchise with 32 active locations. Walter Thomas opened his franchise in late 2020 after years as an operations supervisor in big box retail. He has 15 years’ experience recruiting and maintaining a staff to work on the sales floor.
His franchise operations focus on lead generation, sales conversion and order fulfillment using local installation partners. This relatively new company has focused on creating the systems need to do equipment sizing and quotation for residential customers.
Currently in 32 states, they have plans to be in all 50 states by 2024. They will achieve this by helping homeowner reduce their electric bills by 70% - 80%. With the right sizing and investment model the equipment can be purchased with $0 right away and provide lower utility bills from day one.
The Challenge(s): Upon starting the business Walter realized the Georgia market is not initially ideal for solar. The biggest challenge is the willingness of power companies to compensate for electrical generation back to the system. This limits the ROI potential.
A key factor is the utilization rate of the individual power companies. Those companies and states that are at full capacity are more inclined to offer incentives to reduce electrical consumption in lieu of large expansion costs. In the same way a company that has excess capacity is more likely put a cap on the reimbursement costs of energy provided by the solar grid technology. Those operators would rather increase the electrical consumption to gain greater utilization of their facilities.
Currently only .01% of GA energy is created from renewable sources. What a great opportunity for growth!
Mother nature has created a challenge as well. A large amount of tall trees around a home can diminish the power creation potential from a system installed on the roof. Walter has quickly realized he can identify the best neighborhoods using arial views in order to carefully pick neighborhoods that he approaches.
The Decision(s): After quickly assessing the challenges in Georgia Walter leveraged his professional network and used social media to connect and share job postings. As a result, he has enlarged his target market by adding sales personnel around the country. Many in more solar friendly states. He is committed to building solar usage in Georgia when the community and market is ready.
Walter’s personal experience hiring for retail has built the skills necessary to quickly assess potential employees and customers. In addition, Walter has identified the formulas that will drive the necessary leads, prospects, and conversion to drive his business. In ActionCOACH terms we refer to some of those as the 5 Ways. They are powerful. If you do not know what they are ask me. I am happy to give the secret. He understands how many opportunities he needs so he can build a profitable business.
The Result(s): In the few weeks I have known Walter I have learned how he has increased the potential for his business and started to create new opportunities. With the new employees that have SMART targets and a sales system to educate customers I expect to see him grow to his first year target very soon.
The Lesson(s): I am impressed with what Walter has done in a few short months. Leveraging a system for the technology and marketing he adds his people skills to build a team and network to create a pathway to success for his Solar Grid Franchise.
I look forward to seeing where this goes, and more importantly, how fast.
Contact Information for Solar Grids and Walter Thomas:
Website: https://solargrids.com/walter-thomas/
Email: walter@solargridswarriors.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.comin/walter-thomas-31b23117b
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Walt12
Phone: 470.650.5832
AN ENTREPRENEUR'S BALANCE OF FAMILY, BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, AND RELATIONSHIPS
ELITE SPORTING GOODS - Lawrenceville, GA, OWNER - Jon Stewart
The Business & Owner: Like all entrepreneurs Jon Stewart’s path to owning a well-recognized niche company is an interesting one. His path has a mixture of many elements including education, opportunity, vision, flexibility, proactive & reactive decisions, long-term & short-term approaches, and most importantly in this case, relationships. Most important for Jon is that he was solving a problem that the market was not addressing adequately.
Elite Sporting Goods, based at 905 Grayson Highway in Lawrenceville GA specializes in youth softball. The company started creating custom uniforms and spirit wear for recreation, travel, and sometimes school teams. Then they added an indoor training facility which was recently upgraded to include 5 hitting lanes, 2 pitching lanes, and a large inside general use space. The training facility is staffed with a group of independent businesses owners that coach in hitting, pitching, catching, and fielding. All have them have coaching and/or playing college softball. These trainers provide 1 to 1 instruction for their independently managed client base of players in the surrounding area. Many of these youth athletes will travel an hour or more for this specialized instruction. Along the way it became a sporting goods store as well that will provide any equipment that a player or coach requires. Finally, there is a practice field for players to work out on a regulation size field which is tucked away on one side of the facility.
Being a student of business, and a bit of a youth softball nut, what I find most intriguing, is how well this business has thrived based solely on word of mouth and personal reputation. Elite has customers all over the country, but most are based in the north Georgia/Atlanta suburbs.
From an outside perspective the business is low tech, limited use of a website and social media. However, critical to Jon’s success is his Point-of-Sale System which provides Jon the information he needs to apply his accounting background to decisions on products, pricing, and customers.
Challenge #1: Getting Started
The business started in 1998 because Jon had a problem and an opportunity. He could not get uniforms for his slow-pitch softball team. At the same time some screen-printing equipment became available from a store he worked at in high school. Like any logical athlete would do early in his career, Jon bought the equipment so his team could have uniforms!!! For several years he continued with a small-scale operation doing screen printing. He employed the same operator who used the equipment with the previous owner. Jon managed the business part-time will continuing his full-time job as an accountant. For those curious, that operator is still with Jon and Elite Sporting Goods today.
As his professional career evolved, he realized that work/life balance is important. If you ever had a family member in public accounting (I have) then you know how challenging that is. People in that profession are a special kind of crazy when it comes to working long hours. Every excuse possible including tax season, month end close, and generally any situation that requires being at the office until midnight.
Decision #1: When Jon’s wife Kellie was 6-months pregnant with their first daughter Jon made the courageous decision to resign his accounting position and move full time in the screen-printing business. He did it because he knew he wanted to be with his children when they were growing up. Not just watching them but investing time and energy into their activities. We share that perspective, most likely we had the same influencers on those work life decisions, our parents. He decided at that time he is “not living to work but working to live.” This decision influences several of his future decisions.
That is easy to say but does he walk the talk? Absolutely, for example the store is closed on Saturdays. Imagine a retail establishment that closes at 6 on the evenings and isn’t open for the weekend!? Why would they do that? Two reasons. First, he wants to be with his kids, second, he realized that it was not profitable because most of their customers were at the ballfield. There are exceptions on some special weekends but for the most part they honor that commitment to being with their family.
Challenge #2: Defined Products & Services
After starting with screen printing and deciding to make this a career it was important for Jon to determine what is new company would do to generate the necessary revenue and income to last.
Decision #2: He made the decision to focus on the sport of softball. Knowing that the softball market is 10% of the baseball market may make cause you to think that is a bad decision. By taking the road less travelled, they have a niche, a strong niche.
This is because Jon is active in the sport as a coach for multiple teams that his children played on and as a leader of the Atlanta Premier travel softball organization. He is often at fields and active in that community while at the ballpark. I have done a lot of “shopping” while talking to Jon at the park.
Challenge #3: Scalable Growth and Time Management
When he knew he could feed his family the next step was to determine what was next for the business. How big could it be? How much could he invest personally which includes financials, energy, and time? His wife and children work in the business, so time and effort are a big impact to the entire family.
Decision #3: Upon becoming stable he decided to start a franchise model so he could “conquer the world”. This is a completely logical approach after having a stable business, seek to grow it. It is what we coach our clients to do. However, he quickly learned that while the revenue and income was increasing, so too were the headaches and time commitment. Sticking with is original mindset to be with his family he opted to reduce the focus on that strategy. As a business coach, with what I know at this point, I would tell him this model is still viable, we likely need to adjust some aspects to the business slightly so he can have that growth and available time for his family.
Challenge #4 & #5: Customers v Margins
What is the right balance between keeping customers happy and a commercial profitable enterprise? How do you do this when the customers are your friends, and you are serving non-profit community organizations?
Decisions #4 & #5: Several years ago, Jon installed a Point-of-Sale System that helped him Master is Money, that is an ActionCOACH term not Jon’s verbiage. What that means is that he knows which products bring sales volume to the store and which products create profit, there is a difference. Also, he knows which customers he can serve well and which he cannot. At ActionCOACH we teach about knowing your A, B, C, & D customers. Eliminate the D’s that do not create profit and consume an unfair share of resources. Improve the C’s to B, and the B’s to A’s.
Jon shared the story of a customer that purchased uniforms every year. Each purchase required significant negotiation, re-work, and frustration. Jon realized this was not a productive and profitable for him or the customer. With that in mind they had a frank and honest discussion, the situation was resolved.
He also shared a story about a player he coached when she was 5 who grew up to make the high school team. Due to some circumstances, he made some financial sacrifices to help that team and player. He did it because he could, and it was what was right and loyal for this family. He told me, “Don’t let money drive you. Don’t let it make decisions on what you do for people.”
These stories reinforce one of Jon’s statements to me, “Always watch the numbers but don’t let them dictate your short-term decisions.” This is reinforced by another statement which is “Don’t stress about bad decisions, any lost money when made for the right reasons will come back to you. Just move on.” It is also worth noting that Jon has never laid anyone off and often worked with return (aka boomerang) employees. If there is loyalty it is honored.
Challenge #6: E-commerce
It is not hard to image that e-commerce has been a looming challenge for someone in the retail space. Having a niche and local relationships have helped Jon keep this from impacting his business. But as he looks ahead in life and the future destination of his business it obvious this issue needs to be address.
Two situations are making this a bigger issue. Obviously the first one is the pandemic which accelerated online shopping, product delivery times, and customer experience.
A second challenge is that manufacturers are adjusting their strategies and decisions in conjunction with online selling. Specifically, they are doing customization and considering the value of their distribution channel. Customization is now possible for gloves, bats, shoes, and even batting gloves. Manufacturers are building on the EMOTION and VISUAL aspects of their products in an industry that for me at least as been about FEEL. Also, the distribution channel (wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) that provide a service to manufacturers in terms of advertising, product placement, and availability. As more shopping and shipping happens through online sales they are looking closely at their financials and re-considering their distribution model.
Decision #6: Jon has some ideas, and the final strategy is yet to be determined. Some wheels are in motion. It is clear to me that this will be critical to the future of Elite Sporting Goods. I look forward to helping him with this to the extent that he requires it.
The Result & Summary:
I love this story. An educated entrepreneur taking risks to engage in a community he loves and a product and service he is passionate about. Balancing emotion, money, and family Jon has built a recognizable brand and company that sells through word of mouth and meeting customer demands.
What happens next will be a great example for many in Small Businesses that have the same challenges balancing Time, People, and Money while dealing with large companies and changing consumer behaviors. When it comes to those in in my community, that share my passions and focus on serving customers through relationships I am very motivated to see their success and the rewards it creates for their families.
Address: 905 Grayson Highway, Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Phone: (678) 377-0270
Email: elitesportinggoods@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Elite-Sports-753231074741065/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EliteSportsTraining12/info/
ADAPTING TO CHANGES TO SERVE FAMILIES
HAPPY HANDS CHILDCARE – Grayson GA, Owner – Tanja Howard
The Business & Owner: Happy Hands Childcare was started in 2002 by Tanja Howard. As a former 3rd grade teacher, she wanted her children to have a positive environment that included pre-school education. After her children entered school, she had a decision to make for the business. She chose to keep it open so she could continue to provide a good foundation for more children. Tanja operates the school by herself but does have substitutes for emergencies and critical situations. In addition to the education in the home she incorporates field trips and other activities such as kindergarten tours.
When I asked about her client profile, she shared some more that gives some good perspective. Tanja makes sure her candidates are aware that they are a Christian home and there are some elements of that in the activities, such as blessing the meal and education on the holidays. All children are welcome but potential clients should be aware of her background. She says she really appreciates parents that ask a lot of questions during the introduction, this is an indicator to her that the parents are highly involved in their child’s experience and eliminates any confusion later in the relationship.
The Challenge(s): It is not a surprise that the COVID-19 safety protocols came up first when I asked Tanja about the most challenging elements of her business. Keeping masks on toddlers, ensuring social distancing, increasing hand washing, including temperature checks, etc. Also, without the ability to do the field trips she had to improve her technology using zoom and other ways to maintain the education and interest level for her students. Along the way she was made sure to clarify her protocols including the purchase of a UV light for sanitization of the facility.
When I asked Tanja about career lessons as a business owner of nearly 20 years, she shared she used to be “shy” about her time and money. As a result, there were times her giving nature increased her time commitment and held back her earnings. With experience she gained the confidence and skills to be upfront and clear with the families on the expectations, so the relationship was good for all involved.
The Takeaway(s): It was clear to me that Tanja was deeply passionate about her clients and the children she educates, it just so happens that this provides an income for her. Her goal is to provide high quality education and care which is summed up best when she said this, “I see myself as a heart surgeon and a brain surgeon for the future generation because I shape their minds and their emotions and hearts.”
Phone: 770.277.5509
Email: jhoward32@aol.com
VISION, MINDSET, ADVISORS, & LEVERAGE
SIGNARAMA / TWO COATS PAINTING & STAINING – Buford, GA, Owner – Dan Wells
The Business & Owner: Dan Wells purchased his Signarama business in February of 2020 with a plan to build a business focused on services for residential and commercial customers. The starting point was the sign business that makes and installs signs for business buildings, car wraps, and property management companies. Also, they serve the public by making signs and banners for family events and accomplishments. This diversified customer base fit well with the facilities he found that had an infrastructure to expand. One month after taking ownership of the business the world changed drastically and in turn, his timeline. He moved quickly on the need and opportunity to open a painting business called Two Coats Painting & Staining.
The new business is based in the same building and does internal and external painting and staining for homes and businesses. He has plans for other adjacent services that leverage the infrastructure and talent pool in his current business. His customers are Property Management Companies, Retail Businesses, Homeowners, Churches, Apartment Complexes, and parents of graduating seniors.
The Challenge(s): When the pandemic hit the concern was that commercial customers would put projects on hold to save their cash. At the same time with lockdowns in force and family celebrations on hold the need for families to buy signs also appeared to be at risk. This happened just 30 days after Dan became an entrepreneur, there was a lot of reason for concern.
The Decision(s): Fortunately for Dan his acquisition included a hidden asset. His building allowed for expansion and a partially divided operation. He had two options. Hunker down and ride it out or continue with his plan to diversify and expand services. He wanted to add another service business in the building as it was designed to host two businesses with a double storefront. Painting had a nice overlap in the commercial space with signage and it allowed him to build deeper roots I the in the local residential space complimenting while supplementing his primary B2B sign company.
Many owners would take the conservative option, but Dan knew this was the time to expand. He referenced the analogy of the oak tree that has deep roots to survive in the drought. He chose to take the business into a new space. He created Two Coats Painting & Staining.
The Result(s): Besides doubling his market potential by being in two service markets these businesses have synergy in facilities, equipment, and people. As we re-open and the market expands his opportunities for growth are greater than businesses in one service category alone and will widen his target customer base.
Besides sharing the same building with an opening on the interior their processes and systems are similar. He can apply key employees’ skills sets in both businesses. This is critical in areas like quoting, project management, and back-office activities.
There are operating efficiencies as well. Some equipment that is common in painting helps him do more sign work. When his sign company is a sub-contractor on a job with other companies, they are dependent upon the painting contractor to complete the work on time and communicate the status. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Many times, his sign company would show up on site only to be turned back because the preceding work had not yet been completed. By providing adjacent services he can be efficient with project time and staffing.
The Lesson(s): There are many elements to this story that small business owners can learn from.
Vision: Dan has a vision for how several different trade companies can support each other. With a common operation, similar target markets, and reasonable adjacencies he will have a business that creates greater market potential and profit margins. His optimistic view has allowed him to make decisions that a more pessimistic individual would never consider.
Dan and I spoke at length about the upcoming changes in our world and how this will impact his business model. We agree it will be different. Some markets will shrink, for example commercial office space and buildings. Some would see more downside for a commercial sign maker. However, after knowing Dan it is not surprising that he focuses on the new businesses that will be created in their place and the opportunities that are created. These same office buildings will likely be repurposed and create additional opportunities for renovation, painting, and signage. I often say that change is good because needs develop. The key is to anticipate the changes and have a plan for a variety of scenarios.
Mindset: His willingness to expand when others back off is critical. Understanding that businesses can grow in an apparent down-turn creates more potential for Dan and his companies.
Advisors: Dan credits much of his success to a great set of business partners. His CPA, Ellen Springer, and Attorney, Matt Wilkins, were both instrumental in advice and responsiveness to develop his business model. His advice is that every business owner needs quality partners in these roles.
Leverage: A properly thought through expansion can allow a business to double in size and potential with a much smaller additional investment. This leverage can allow entire businesses to be created with lower costs and then operate with greater efficiency as well.
While I just met Dan, I am looking forward to more brainstorming with him to see where this goes. If you want to know more about Dan or how a trusted partner can help you develop the mindset and vision required, please reach out to either one of us.
Websites: www.SARBuford.com, www.TwoCoatsAtl.com
Phone: Signarama 770.831.9660, Two Coats 770.580.5900
Facebook: @SignaramaBuford
CAMP GLADIATOR – Lawrenceville GA, Owner – Rosha Lollar
The Business & Owner: Camp Gladiator is a franchise started 13 years ago by Ally Davidson and her husband Jeff after she won American Gladiator. Her experience was so moving she wanted to take it to the world. Rosha started her franchise in September of 2020. They started with outdoor workout groups, then turned virtual, and now use a hybrid model. Their perspective is that anyone can do their workouts based upon the training of their instructors. This is regardless of age, weight, etc. If the doctor has cleared them for certain activities, they can create exercises that fit their abilities and needs.
The Challenge(s): The CG model leverages relationships and groups formed in the face-to-face workouts where members become a small community with the instructor and with each other. Obviously, this was a challenge during the pandemic. It also made it difficult to identify, hire, and qualify the instructors.
The Decision(s): Camp Gladiator, like many, went to a virtual environment for hiring and training. This created some challenges with equipment and facilities, but they were able to make this work.
The Result(s): One result of this was the markets for the franchises expanded. What used to be accessible to only those in the surrounding areas was not made available to people in other time zones. One nice benefit is that if a client wanted to work out at a certain time, they could join a group in a different time zone that fit their schedule and workout goals.
The Lesson(s): When asking Rosha about lessons learned in starting up her business she shared that with businesses with seasonality she needs to be thinking longer in the future. For example, summer workouts and marketing need to be planned in Spring. Fortunately, they are getting a steady supply of fresh and current materials from their franchisee to make sure that as many people as possible get the benefit of personal trainer style workouts.
Here are some more links for CampGladiator:
Website: https://campgladiator.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CampGladiator
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campgladiatorga/
Email: roshalollar@campgladiator.com
SOURCED – Peachtree Corners, GA, Owners – Gabrielle Mills, Chrissy Strohmyer
The Business & Owner: Sourced is a back office professional services business that helps small to medium sized businesses that have outgrown their business but not ready to for full team expansion. They offer help in marketing, accounting, talent acquisition, and soon hr services. Their ideal clients are >$1M in revenue with 5-10 employees. Their diversified back-office staffing and support services help businesses with growth and a variety of skills needed. Most notably they support accounting, legal, IT, and Marketing. They can provide the people to do the work or will help the client in the recruiting process. They go the extra mile by qualifying the candidates and often doing the 1st round of interviews. This additional step is a BIG differentiator, particularly for smaller businesses that may not have the same experience in recruiting and interview.
The Challenge(s): In 2019 there was a big focus by the owners Gabrielle Mills and Chrissy Strohmyer to position the business for growth. 2020 started strong and then in that weekend we all remember starting with Friday the 13th and businesses closing temporarily all around them they knew they had to do something. It was either close or go down swinging.
The Decision(s): During an impromptu pivot session they decided they were not going down without a fight. In hindsight they realized how that event galvanized the business leaders to become recommitted to their vision. Many affirmational statements were made…. interesting how powerful that can be!
The Result(s): 2020 was their best year ever with massive growth. At the time they were surprised at the number of booming businesses when all we heard were the busts. As a result, the growth in talent acquisition was so significant that it created a new service platform for them in temp to perm services.
The Lesson(s): When I asked Gabrielle what advise she has for other entrepreneurs she offer the following observations.
Here are some more links for Sourced:
Website: https://www.getsourced.com
Facebook: @sourcedatl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourced.
Email: contact@sourcedatl.com
BRIGHT LEARNING ACADEMY – Norcross, GA, Owner – Jialing Hsu, Anthony Chung, Sarah Hsu, and Hau-King Lam
The Business & Owner: The Bright Learning Academy was started the summer of 2020 with a dedication to early childhood education. At present they focus on children 2-5 years of age with a curriculum that focuses on foreign language. In these early years, the focus is on Chinese, but they aspire to expand to other languages. Based upon their 20+ years in education the focus is on Inquiry Based Learning. One definition was found on www.gradepowerlearning.com.
Inquiry-based learning is an approach to learning that emphasizes the student’s role in the learning process. Rather than the teacher telling students what they need to know, students are encouraged to explore the material, ask questions, and share ideas…(it) uses different approaches to learning, including small-group discussion and guided learning. Instead of memorizing facts and material, students learn by doing. This allows them to build knowledge through exploration, experience, and discussion.
You can learn more about the business and program at www.brightlearningacademyga.com
The Challenge(s): There were 2 challenges they encountered. Due to the pandemic many were drawn to the academy because of the smaller class sizes so they filled up quickly. A good problem which required quick staffing. In general, they did not struggle to get candidates as many educators that were displaced were looking for opportunities. Unfortunately for them however is some hires ended up not being a great fit as they did not all share the same level of commitment to the school and the children. As a result, they had to refill a role 2 weeks after their 1st teacher started.
The Decision(s): After this experience Jia-Ling realized her mindset needs to be different. She cannot assume that all employees see the business like she does. Therefore, while there is still uncertainty in the hiring process, she is doing more behavioral based interviews. This helps to qualify the candidate as like-minded on the dedication to the children. She is optimistic going forward as she has more confidence that future teachers share the same values and recognize their role as part of a bigger thing than just a job.
The Result(s): Looking forward Jia-Ling wants the world to know they are focused on professionalism in a very important industry that is shaping the minds of future generations.
The Lesson(s): It was impressive to see how Jia-Ling and Anthony used their focus and experience in education to teach themselves the critical elements to start and maintain their business. They understand their niche, value their employees, and ensure they have a common view on the destination of the company and its clients.
Here are some more links for the Bright Learning Academy
Website: www.brightlearningacademyga.com
Facebook: @BrightLearningAcademyGA
Email: brightlearningacademyga@gmail.com
CINCH I.T. – Atlanta, GA, Owner – Troy Cobb
The Business & Owner: Troy Cobb’s franchise has their grand opening in early April 2021. The corporation started in 2004 and began franchising in 2019. They provide corporate enterprise I.T. support which includes remote diagnostics combined with a commitment to have a tech on site in 1 hour if needed. Having recently been with a larger corporation that outsourced its I.T. support to India I can tell you that Cinch I.T. is riding the wave of smaller I.T. departments for businesses but is doing so with a great twist. Fast and local personal support. Their services include multi-layer cyber security, network monitoring and employee training. The employee focus is critical as business networks are exposed by more devices on different networks (aka work from home). They have a nice, sweet spot of value from what I can see. Check for yourself at https://cinchit.com/
The Challenge(s): Troy saw the biggest impact of COVID on their clients. The risk from hybrid work models was significant. For Cinch I.T. it was not difficult as they were already focused on remote diagnostics and repair.
The Decision(s): Looking forward smart business leaders are already sorting out their workplace environment of the future. Who will be in the office? Where will they sit? What equipment do they need? Fortunately for Cinch I.T. customers they have already consulted with most of their clients for their back to the office plans.
The Result(s): When asking Troy about the future and cornerstone of his business that will drive them forward, he was clear. They provide “Fast and Friendly IT Support”. Also, they provide free assessments where most competitors charge for that service. Sounds like a good future for Cinch I.T. and their clients.
The Lesson(s): My takeaway from this encounter is Troy’s company has recognized the need (I.T. support) the trend (outsourcing by corporation) and the pain (slow & grumpy) and solution (fast & friendly). Sounds like a great start to me.
Here are some more links for Cinch I.T.
Website: https://cinchit.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinchitatlanta
PRODUCTION WAREHOUSE FILMS, Lawrenceville, GA, Owner – Bobby Nickson
The Business & Owner: Bobby Nickson has a diverse range of talents. He is a software architect that builds websites from scratch (code), not like the templates we all use. Also, he is a writer and film producer and does audio producing too. Starting in 2012 he began producing his own writings. You can see some trailers here www.productionwarehousefilms.com. His short films include Horror, Sci-Fi, Action, Triller, Comedy, and Drama. Having created his content, he is beginning to pursue the production of creative material by others. Recently he moved to the Atlanta to engage in the growing movie industry.
The Challenge(s): Hiring talent. These projects have their own life and ebbs and flows. While long term relationships exist, there are not full-time positions in this industry. For behind-the-scenes roles he can rely on prior experience and relationships to find and qualify his candidates. In the event something does not fit he can often find a correction (replacement) quickly. What is ironic here is that the hiring of talent is the issue. To me in this COVID world you would think finding people that can look good on screen would be easier in this zoom world. For Bobby, he finds the best success when he meets the people face to face and truly knows the prospect. Having this three-dimensional, real time interaction allows him to know the chemistry and responsiveness of the potential actor.
The Decision(s): In the past 12 months Bobby continued to rely on virtual meetings and went with his gut. Then while on set he prepares himself for something to go wrong and will replace someone quickly, if needed, to keep the show going.
The Result(s): It is too soon to tell the ending of this story about movies but when I asked Bobby what gives him the most reason for optimism his answer was “I will be very happy knowing I helped the next big talent get their start.” I too look forward to that after meeting Bobby.
The Lesson(s): Bobby emphasized to me that he is passionate about the quality of the project, the craft itself, making the best quality film and media. It is not about the money. That is a good perspective for all of us to remember.
Here are some more links for Production Warehouse Films:
Website: http://www.pwhfilms.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pwhfilms
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/productionwarehousefilms
IG/Twitter: @pwhfilms
Survey results from business owner priorities in recruiting and employee performance assessments.
The owners we interviewed were asked the most important criteria in hiring and what are the common traits in their best employees. Ranked Most (4) to Least (1). Below are those survey results.
My takeway: We hire based upon Skills but we value employees on Behavior & Attitude. Most likely because it is hard to know behavior and motivator styles without some extra help. Reach out to me if you want to know how you can learn more about a candidates Behavior & Attitude BEFORE you make an offer. LEARN MORE HERE.
Please see what local business owners have done and are planning to do to get the most out of their businesses.
I encourage you to reach out to these business owners if you find their business and stories as helpful as I did.
Contact us to learn about Goals and Action Plans!
Monroe, GA
817-538-8864
johndavis@actioncoach.com
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