Duane Hicks
Thinking of starting a small business?
It’s “Small Business Week” (Oct. 19-25) and the Times caught up with some of the more recently-started local ones to get some advice straight from the source.
Ben Morelli, who opened “From the Grind Up” on Scott Street in February, 2013, said networking is vital.
“Make all of the contacts you possibly can and understand that those contacts, especially in government, are going to be constantly changing and you need to be aware,” he stressed.
“Programs change, people change, and you really need a lot of these government-run programs to survive in business these days as a small business because the odds are stacked against you,” Morelli noted.
“Keep your ear to the ground, make sure who’s who and what programs you can take advantage of, how you can possibly get in some advertising piggybacked with someone,” he added.
“Keep current with programs and trends,” he noted.
Business is competitive, and last thing an owner wants is for another business to get a big grant it could have gotten instead, said Morelli.
“Say with a grant for staffing—now every dollar they make with that staff, they basically have a leg up on you,” he explained.
“Although we’re one big, happy family around here, you’re still competing with everyone.”
Morelli said since opening “From the Grind Up,” he found out his clientele base encompasses a broader demographic than he thought it would.
“I realize that there’s not a lot of younger professionals living in town, but I guess I thought that would be my main clientele≤” he admitted.
“But I’m finding that all demographics are using this space, and that’s wonderful.”
At least partially because of this, Morelli has obtained a liquor licence and hosted more evening events.
“You do adjust depending on demand,” he reasoned. “You gauge demand from asking clients or they’ll tell you.
“Then you make an educated decision based on how much funding you’re able to get, how much time you’re willing or able to put in, and how much of a gamble you want to take with a new idea.”
“Budget, budget, budget” is the word to remember, said Jennifer Horton, who opened “Curvy Chick” on Scott Street in May, 2013.
“Watch your budget, hire a good bookkeeper, and when people say ‘cash flow is key’, they mean it,” she noted.
“Being in business isn’t always easy, and you will have growing pains and days where you want to cry, but it is so rewarding and satisfying,” Horton added.
“When there are slow times in your business, you need to be prepared for that,” she warned.
“[But] I love what I do and building relationships with my customers.”
One thing she’s learned being in business so far is there’s no substitute for first-hand experience.
“You don’t really understand something until you go through it,” Horton remarked.
“Mentors or people tell you advice, and sometimes it’s hard to believe, but trust what they say.”
Horton noted that in a short time, what she sells at “Curvy Chick” has changed due to input from customers.
“I never thought I would be selling boots or clothing,” she admitted. “I wanted to be strictly bras/panties and sleepwear, but my customers encouraged me to carry a wide-calfed boot line and having a bit of plus-sized clothing.
“I do plan on expanding on that side next year.
“Research only gets you so far but by talking to my customers and listening to what they say, I am able to buy accordingly,” Horton added.
Planning is vital to success, agreed Ken Hawrylak, who opened his computer repair business, “Digital Dr.,” in March, 2012.
“Have a solid business plan. Stick to it,” he stressed. “This will give you a roadmap for your business.
“Update [it] constantly so you have the latest picture of what your business is and where it is going,” added Hawrylak.
“I can’t stress enough how important this is.”
Hawrylak said one thing he’s learned in the past two-and-a-half years is just how many people out there are in need of his services—but don’t know it.
“If you wait until the machine stops working on the Internet or so slow as to be useless, personal information, financial information, and all your doings on the computer are compromised,” he warned.
“Internet security must be a proactive thing, something you stay on top of,” he stressed.
“Not reactive, only to be dealt with when there’s a problem.”
Since starting up, Hawrylak’s business also has changed and expanded.
“In-lab business has picked up tremendously,” he noted. “I’ve dropped hardware repairs.
“Most devices are so cheap now, they aren’t worth fixing sadly,” he said, adding he has expanded into smartphone and tablet screen repair.
He also just launched his remote repair/configuration/training service.
“Through the Internet and software, ‘Digital Dr.’ can ask to take control of your computer,” Hawrylak explained.
“Provided you allow it, we can then clean the malware and spyware from your system, remotely teach you about anything you want, or have us check your network security.
“[And] all this without either of us having to leave the house.”
Hawrylak said he has many clients and friends from all over Canada who have helped him test the system and verify everything works.
“This is the one I’m most excited about and, if it gets the right exposure, will dramatically increase business, allow me to hire and potentially spread this service to North America, possibly the world,” he noted.
“The Internet and the technologies that already exist make it all possible.
“I have many other projects in the works, including getting ‘Digital Dr.’ on a dedicated fibre-optic connection,” added Hawrylak.
Angela Halvorsen, who owns and operates a riding stable, “Dreamweaver Ranch,” just south of Emo, said that when she made her business plan, she did a market survey.
“That was the one thing that really, really helped me with my business is to know what your market wants,” she remarked.
“I did a survey to the community and talked to as many people as I could possibly talk to, and got feedback and suggestions and it made a world of difference,” noted Halvorsen, who also is the business investment officer for the Rainy River Future Development Corp.
She initially had wanted to name her business “Dreamweaver Horsemanship” (Dreamweaver had significance as the name of her first horse while horsemanship is the proper term for the art or practice of riding on horseback).
But Halvorsen found not everyone knew what “horsemanship” was—something vital to consider when her target market is beginners.
When she did her market survey, she had four choices for what her business should be called and “Dreamweaver Horsemanship” was the least popular.
“So the one that I thought made the most sense actually, to my market, meant the least,” she recalled.
“‘Dreamweaver Ranch’ was number one.”
Talk to your customers before you ever start, Halvorsen reiterated.
“That’s my little piece of advice to people,” she said. “Know your market, know who you’re talking to, who you’re trying to attract.”
“Dreamweaver Ranch” opened in February, with Halvorsen working full-time at the RRFDC and teaching riding lessons in the evenings and on weekends.
It has been more successful than she could have imagined.
In her original business plan, Halvorsen hoped she could get six students. But during the summer, she had 12 regular students who came out every week.
And at one point, she had up to 14 people on a waiting list to get lessons.
“It really, really went off well,” noted Halvorsen, adding she also hosts one or two birthday parties a week.
“So what I thought was going to be a small business on the side has turned out to be quite busy,” she laughed.
“I really underestimated what my sales and my interest was going to be, but that’s always a good problem to have.
“It could have been the other way around,” Halvorsen conceded. “But I did my homework and I did a marketing strategy, and I did all of the things I tell people to do to get started in business.
“I was pretty happy with that,” she enthused.
