Small Business Consulting Skills
I have been an entrepreneur since 2002. In the early days of the internet, I taught myself HTML and built my first e-commerce website.
My company, Treasured Locks, started as a pure retailer of other people’s products; making local brands available nationwide before these brands thought of distributing their products through the internet. As some of my manufacturers opened their websites and moved into brick and mortar store nationwide, I pivoted to creating my brand so that I didn’t have to compete on price and I could control my fate. I developed products, sourced products, designed packaging, and created product lines.
My background in branding from having worked at IBM in both sales and marketing helped tremendously. Having our own products lines led to the need to advertise. When it comes to advertising, I know by trial and error what works. And, maybe as importantly, I know what does not work.
Over the years I’ve learned many skills associated with running a small business. It’s vital to stay current as things change daily. I continually take education and learn new ways to leverage technology.
The use of email creatively and automatically to reach out to dormant customers, is far less expensive than acquiring new customers. Texting is on the rise, as email inboxes become flooded. Texting has an open rate that is almost nine times the average email open rate. But, you have to know how to use it properly. Since Amazon is crushing many retailers and small manufacturers, it’s essential to learn how to compete with Amazon since customers expect Amazon-like service and pricing.
Google has built an infrastructure that you can leverage in almost unimaginable ways, for very little money. Customer Relationship Management solutions are available that can help you manage prospects and customers in a highly efficient manner, increasing your top and bottom line.
I can help you navigate these technologies, determine what is appropriate for business, and implement them. See below for a few of the skills I can bring to bear for you.
Helping with Facebook Advertising
Small Business Startup
- Identifying what business to start
- Choosing an e-commerce platform
- Collecting payments
- Shipping logistics
- Branding
- Logo creation
- Choosing an email platform
Small Business Improvement
- Advertising strategy
- Social media platforms
- Social media content creation
- Leveraging email
- SMS/Text marketing
- Consult on website improvements
- Social media strategy
Some of My Skills
- Simple websites- WordPress and others (I built this site)
- Facebook advertising
- Set-up Facebook business page
- Email- setup/template/automation
- SMS/Text Marketing
- Shipping
- Social Media Content Creation- videos, ads, articles, etc.
- Google- Sheets/Docs/Forms/etc.
- Teleconferencing to reach clients worldwide
- Leveraging social media