November 25, 2022

Written By: Akiba Bradford

Becoming an entrepreneur comes with great responsibility. Whether its creating products for your customers or managing the administrative process. I sought help from California’s Small Business Development Center. Their premiere program called California Shop Small: From Start to Cart, helped me manage my feelings and anxiety with these new responsibilities.

California Shop Small is an e-commerce platform for product-based businesses. Its Start to Cart program is a 4-week intensive program that helps entrepreneurs sell products online. The thought of attending every session, meeting one-on-one with a business consultant, and sharing this experience with my peers, excited me. This blog touches on three key insights that helped me overcome my anxiety and ultimately turn my hobby into a business.

Credibility

Credibility is the foundation of doing business. Being in the spotlight and fearing disappointing my prospective customers came to mind when taking the leap of faith into entrepreneurship. Luckily, my consultant Chris from the SBDC helped me to mitigate those concerns. By honing in on the business administration side of the house, I crafted a vision for my business. A vision aligned with sourcing quality products and creating transparent policies for my customers to address their concerns. Preparing a business vision empowered me to build relationships, a key pillar of credibility.

Creativity

Creative marketing attracts customers. Candle and soap making is considered both an art and a science. Over the years, I’ve done many experiments with candle vessels, wicks, soap bases, oils, and fragrances. Sometimes my experiments fail, and other times they succeed. My passion for the craft helps me to curate an all-in-one experience. However, creative marketing isn’t my strength. In one of the training sessions, we learned all about marketing. One of the most significant insights I received was to be authentic about the product. Chris and I worked hard to capture the genuine lifestyles that could drive customers to light a candle and take a bath. By doing so, the customer became the center of my creativity.

Cashflow

Cash flow is essential for business expansion. Like many entrepreneurs, I worried about brand positioning, product pricing, and the viability of my company. Luckily, there was a session on business finance and an assignment to create a mini-financial plan. By conducting competitive research on candle prices throughout the market, I acquired a financial range to position my bundles and further define my customer base. Chris helped me overcome an emotional attachment I had to underpricing my products after we examined the cost of raw materials and labor. Not only was financial planning pertinent to the details of running a business, but it also helped me see the bigger picture on how I could expand Lightheart Candles in the future.

All in all, the path of entrepreneurship does come with many challenges. However, the support of California’s SBDC helped me to establish my credibility, utilize my creativity and prepare for cash flow. 

Click here to learn more about how the SBDC can support your business.