Many local business owners have a lot of trouble getting off the ground or keeping their business afloat. What makes one business thrive while another flounders? What makes two people who are running the same business so vastly different? The truth is, if you have a good idea, there is no reason why you cannot be successful. You simply need to know what the traits of a successful small business owner are, and then develop them within yourself. It’s sometimes difficult to go from being an employee to an employer, so listen to these words of wisdom and your fashion boutique will be well on it’s way to being a great shop.

1. They Don’t Listen to Naysayers – There is always going to be people in your life who will tell you that your ideas suck or won’t work. They’ll put road blocks in your way. They’ll make comments like “how are you going to do that and take care of the kids?” or, “How are you going to do that and be a good mom?” You have to ignore them and move along with the knowledge that you know how to research and do your due diligence before you act. Other people aren’t like you – they don’t have the drive to make the change happen that needs to happen.

2. They Offer Something Consumers Want – It’s much easier to offer your audience what they already want than to create something that you have to convince them that they need. To do this you have to know who your audience is, what their pain points are, and how to solve at least one of those pain points. Or quite a few fashion points if you have a boutique. Look, you know your audience because they are you, right? You opened a shop because you love fashion, so find the things that people want to buy or are looking for and get started! If you need a place to find your own products instead of always looking for wholesalers, check out my guide at matheaford.com/top6.

3. They Conduct Research – Stop guessing about who your audience is and what they want. Know. You can know by conducting proper research into your audience. Then once you know what their pain points are, you can also know how to solve them. If you want to succeed, you will spend time talking to your customers and going to sites or places where they hang out. Find out what the latest fashion trends are and be knowledgeable about them. Do webcasts (https://www.linkedin.com/post/edit/10-reasons-why-webcasts-can-huge-success-make-you-popular-mathea-ford) on them.

4. They Use Technology – There is a lot of online technology that you need to implement to ensure success. Autoresponders, automated bookkeeping, project management and more all exist now at reasonable prices to help your small business work just like a big business with numerous employees. You can do this online or in your store with staff, but there are ways to make it easier and give you more information. Using google analytics to the best of your ability to understand your audience will help too!

5. They Build Their Lists – To be successful in business for the long term, the best thing you can do is focus on list building. When you build a list full of your targeted audience, you don’t have to worry as much about social networks going under, websites crashing, or algorithms changing. Instead, you can market directly to your audience whenever you want to. You get people to sign up for your store’s specials or give them an extra discount for getting your emails then you can send them a message directly whenever you are having a sale or get in new products. Don’t delay in getting your email list started.

6. They Use Mixed Media Marketing – You need to use a mixture of types and forms of content. Use video, podcasts, articles, white papers, blog posts, infographics, memes, webinars, teleseminars and so forth to inform, engage, and teach your audience about your niche and your offerings. You can bring more people into your realm and into your store by offering more information online to your audience. Let them into your life and your knowledge will draw them to you.

7. They Provide Value – One of the things you must do for your audience, customers and even the public in general is to provide value to them. A lot of what you provide may be free to everyone who can access it. But, then you will also have a call to action to ensure that they get more of what you’re offering. It’s easy to find information to share and relate to your audience to get them to interact and learn from you. Then you offer them ways to get more information and education from you. That is what your autoresponder is for.

8. They Keep Learning – Because technology changes so quickly, it’s imperative that if you want a successful fashion business then you need to keep learning about the things that may change everything. There is killer technology right on the horizon that could help or hurt your business. By learning about it and using what you learn you can make it work to your advantage.

9. They Get Help – No one is truly successful on their own. Everyone who is truly successful has surrounded themselves with smart business people who can help them with the things they are weak on or simply do not want to do. You can find contractors and even employees who will work virtually or in your shop and make your work successful. If you need help with getting your products online, you can contact me directly at mathea@matheaford.com and I can assist you in selling and being successful with your products on Amazon.

10. They Work Every Day – Well, maybe not every single day, but every work day, and during the time they’ve set aside to work on their business they do actions that make money. You have to do money-making actions every work day to ensure that you make money. Set aside time to do each action that you know you need to do – reorder, find new products, stock the shelves, check out customers, do your social media, and perform weekly webcasts in addition to whatever else comes up.

If you want to be successful in running a business, you need to learn to develop these skills. Identify what you’re missing and focus on making that one of your good features. If you’re a procrastinator, learn why and do something to stop it. If you have a good idea, conduct research before you launch and you won’t regret it. You can have a presence in social media and drive your customers to the shop to keep people coming in the front doors.