Name
*
First Name
Last Name
Business or Organization Name
*
Can you describe what your business does?
For example: Do you sell products or services? Think of this as your 1-minute pitch.
Where did the idea come from?
What motivated you to start a business? Is there a specific cultural, geographic, or social interest behind the business? What are your goals? What kind of experience or training was required?
Can you describe your typical work day?
Do you work from home, a separate office, or are you mostly on-the-road? What is your workspace like? Where do you source your products?
What is your best-selling product?
Do you sell it online? Why do you think it is a best seller? Is this product representative of your business? What is the price (to give readers a general idea)?
What sets you apart from other businesses?
What is unique about you? What is the competition like in your industry? What can customers look forward to from your products or services?
How is social media important to your business?
Which platforms do you use most - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc? What about LinkedIn? Which ones bring in the most business for you? How do you produce the content for these?
What are your thoughts on technology today?
Mac or PC, or do you mostly use your phone? How do you use computers to produce marketing materials? How do you manage business finances, store graphics/video, or communicate? Do you use iCloud, Dropbox, Google, as well? How do you manage backups & computer security? (You don't have to get too specific, just provide useful advice for others)
Regarding all the work that the business requires, do you hire contractors or does your family participate?
Do you manage your own website & social media, or outsource? Do you do your own bookkeeping? What about maintaining the tech, software, and equipment, who does that? Do you use a virtual assistant, or answering service?
For finding new customers, doing outreach, and marketing, how do you manage this?
Do you have a sign-in book at your booth? Do you use an email mailing list? Do you use specialized software for managing social media (Google Analytics, Buffer, Hootsuite, SproutSocial, etc)? What other apps/applications are in your toolkit that you depend on to reach new customers?
Practically speaking, how do you balance work, growth, and personal time?
How do you balance work vs. family, vacations, leisure-time, etc.? Do you use any strategies to manage your time? Or maybe you have a favorite app that you use? How to you find time for training and learning new skills?
Regarding the environment, social issues, and being a partner to the community, do you have any specific things your business focuses on?
Being green, aware of diversity issues, meeting local requirements, etc. can increase costs, but it can also offer benefits. How do these things figure into your operations? Do you have any initiatives in place? What would you recommend to other business owners to do?
What do you see as the outlook for the future of your business?
How do you plan to grow your business or organization? Where do you see it in 5 or 10 years? How would you define success? What are your thoughts on your industry?
Do you have a final thought for the readers?
What would you say to someone just starting out? Any pearls of wisdom? Do you have a favorite quote? Or do you have something that motivates you to get started every day?
Business/contact Email
Website Address
Other Social Media Link(s):
Thank you for sharing your experience and insights with the readers. I will create a webpage using your responses and send you a draft before I publish.
Remember that when I create the webpage, I will use a few photos from your social media, but if you have any specific photos you would like me to use, just send them to: Michael@BusinessOwnerStories.com .
