The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce brought together leaders from four fields to answer the top question most businesses ask. How do I become the best?
The April Good Morning, North Augusta breakfast centered on a panel discussion with leaders from a non-profit organization, micro/entrepreneur business, small business, and large business. Each had been named Best in Business during this year’s annual meeting.
Moderated by Terra Carroll (left), President and CEO of the Chamber, questions first went to Mary Anne Bigger(right), Executive Director of the Arts and Heritage Center of North Augusta. While speaking as a non-profit, Bigger’s advice on how to grow crosses all types of business.
“Know your audience. Know who’s going to come to your venue or come to whatever services you’re providing,” she said, adding they make sure to provide what members want, local history, and selling local artists in the gift shop.
“That is one way that we provide revenue and also provide an avenue for local artists to showcase their work. We do a 70/30 split with the artist. We are tax-free because 90% of items in our gift shop are handcrafted. Almost all of the items are for sale. That’s always exciting when we have our exhibits, and people can come in and see that local art has been preserved,” she said.
Shifting the focus to for-profit business, Carroll asked Brian and Dr. Sheryl Wendzik, owners of Argus Visuals, how they wear all the metaphorical hats needed to support their business as a microenterprise.
Sheryl Wendzik said an organized calendar and dividing responsibilities are key to a two-person shop staying on top of customer needs. But developing a system of backups is equally important.
“Technology is your friend. It can also let you down. So, we have backup after backup after backup,” she explained. “That’s why both of us are taking pictures at different events, so that if something fails with one, then the other one will come through. So, redundancy is big, but I think the biggest hint I can give is to identify what your strengths are being small.”
When it comes to fostering client relationships as a small business while developing a reputation for excellence, Matthew Jay, Partner and Chief Operating Officer for PC Techware, said it is important to have personal contact with clients. He said so much of what they do is invisible to clients, and the face-to-face interaction is critical.
“One of the things I try to do with our clients is touch points,” added Jennifer Pendley, the Customer Success Manager. “We’re continually making sure that we’re aligning our strategies and tools, meeting their needs and their goals as a business. We also do a lot with the Chambers and networking groups to ensure that we’re getting out there in the community and giving advice and talks on technology to help small businesses who aren’t even our clients yet to foster that relationship with us and trust us to be experts.”
Molly Jones, Small Business Services Manager for SRP Federal Credit Union, laid out a strategy for how a big business remembers its roots. She said they look at growth and innovation as tools to enhance their mission and connection to the community.
“First, we are member-centric innovation with every product, service or technology. We introduce these designs with the members in mind, whether it’s digital banking implementation, small business solutions or community-based lending,” she said. “We also focus on sustainable growth. We prioritize responsible growth, ensuring that we handle things and maintain them with that financial foundation. We continue to focus on what is important to our members and making sure our organization stays financially strong.”
Jones said a final component is their focus on community engagement, be it financial initiatives or financial literacy programs and partnerships that enhance their commitment to their members in the community.
