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Whether you’re an entrepreneur making waves in your industry—or just somebody with a day job and a big idea—small business success is a dream you strive to achieve. But the road to a profitable and worthwhile business isn’t easy. (Not that anybody said it would be.)
If you’re on the lookout for ways to help make that dream a reality, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we’re getting some insider tips from someone who’s been there and done it before. CustomerOptix CEO Ron Welty was recently interviewed by business and marketing expert Adam Torres on an episode of Mission Matters. Watch the full video—or keep reading to get the big ideas.
The entrepreneurial grind is real, folks. Starting and growing a business is hard work.
Firstly, you have to find an idea that’s worth sharing—that people will appreciate en masse. Next, you have to start creating the infrastructure for your business. That’s in addition to cultivating your brand, managing your marketing, high-level strategizing, putting out fires, and trying to deliver only the best for your customers. Countless hours of overtime, late-night brainstorming sessions, and caffeine become the pillars of your lifestyle. Oh, and did we mention the neverending tasks of answering to the public, your customers, your investors, and the IRS?
In a small business’s early days, it can feel like there’s no room to breathe—much less be on the lookout for real ways to improve. In fact, your dream of small business success might be all that keeps you going sometimes.
Although becoming a success seems impossible sometimes, rest assured, it happens all the time. New businesses become industry-changing success stories every day. And you can do it too—with some help from folks who have traveled the entrepreneurial road before you.
This success-sharing philosophy is a huge part of Adam Torres’s quest with Mission Matters. According to its website, the long-running platform is designed to “give voice to the stories of entrepreneurs, entertainers, executives, and experts.” This not only amplifies success stories from business people from every walk of life, but it also provides an essential resource for those looking to achieve small business success for themselves. So naturally, this was the perfect place for CEO Ron Welty to share some of his own wisdom and experience.
After spending years in the healthcare industry, Ron Welty saw the clear need for a truly client-focused mystery shopping company. With help from his dedicated team, an investor who believed in him—and, of course, “a little luck”—Ron founded and launched his own customer experience (CX) evaluation business, IntelliShop, in 1999. Twenty years later, upon seeing that smaller and mid-size businesses also desperately needed similar CX solutions, CustomerOptix was born.
What started out as a humble mission turned into nationwide success. With over a million highly-trained evaluators working across the country, IntelliShop and CustomerOptix now provide expert CX analysis to businesses as big as Fortune 1000 and as small as the entrepreneur-next-door.
The great news is that every small-business success story is another reminder that you can make it happen too. Plus, there are a lot of great tips Ron shares in the video to help you out. That being said, the following are the top three pieces of advice he has to offer. (Don’t forget to stick around until the end for the bonus tip!)
As we’ve said, it’s hard work to start, maintain, and build a small business. Between strategy meetings, putting out fires, and doing your absolute best to come through for your customers, there’s not much room left over in your schedule for actually living life.
Although there may be times when you need to put in the late hours, it doesn’t have to always be that way. Integrating the value of work-life balance into your company culture actually leads to a stronger, more satisfying experience for everyone—without sacrificing success.
Ron Welty knows this well. Could your business be more successful faster if you’d stayed late? Perhaps. But chances are, if you put in a good effort, you’ll get there soon enough. More importantly, you’ll get there together, with staff members who feel valued and part of a great team.
Speaking of your team, a strong staff is one of the most important parts of building your business. Thus, hiring and retaining good people should be a big priority. After all, you don’t want to have to spend a lot of time babysitting folks who are just doing the bare minimum. Instead, you need to surround yourself with people who are sold on your vision and dedicated to helping make that happen in the best way possible. As such, your employees should be an invaluable, indispensable part of your business.
That all starts by recruiting strong candidates and treating them like valued teammates. As Ron says, “treat them like adults” by giving them “a lot of responsibility and accountability.” That way, they can be self-starters who share your dream, contribute positively to business growth, and hold themselves to the same high standards that you do. This value, coupled with a strong business-wide sense of work-life balance, will lead to a powerful team that will launch you to the next level of success.
Obviously, when you’re just starting out—or experiencing a boom in your business—you’ll experience “growing pains.” But your company doesn’t have to do this alone. There are plenty of great resources out there to help you through the tough spots. Even better, many of them are free to use. For example, you can check out your local municipal, county, and state government websites. You can also leverage resources on the internet like LinkedIn and Amazon.
Sometimes, paying for certain services or outsourcing specific tasks can be beneficial too. Just make sure to calculate potential ROI and balance it with your budget. For instance, leveraging a digital marketing agency can be a highly lucrative strategy. Alternatively, paying for entry into industry networks and getting certifications can build on your brand’s credibility.
Whatever you do, make sure you prioritize the important parts of your business: your people, your customers, and your vision.
Looking for the small business resource with the best immediate ROI? Naturally, Ron’s advice is to start a CX evaluation program through his platform, CustomerOptix. You want to provide an overwhelmingly positive—and consistently on-brand—customer experience for your prospective and returning patrons. By using mystery shoppers from a company that knows your industry’s CX inside and out, you’ll get an objective view of how your business looks from an outsider’s perspective… and data-supported insight on what works well, what needs work, and how to get better.
Furthermore, a CX evaluation program that can analyze multiple locations over time allows you to “make sure [your] customers are being treated like [you] want them to.” Maintain brand compliance and quality no matter where your customers go—whether in person, on the phone, or online. As Ron says, your mystery shoppers become your “eyes and ears” at every touchpoint.
With CustomerOptix, you can set up a mystery shop in as little as 10 minutes without breaking your budget. Learn more and start improving your CX today. You’ll see that small business success is always right around the corner.
You’ll find these tips and more by watching the full episode of Mission Matters, CX Solutions for Small Businesses.
For even more from Ron Welty, catch him on the On It Not In It podcast for Building a Lasting Business with Purpose: An Interview with Ron Welty. In this episode, Todd Eppert, a certified business and executive coach, uncovers more of Ron’s history leading to IntelliShop and CustomerOptix. They talk about core business values, the importance of being transparent, and how to empower a team. Also, Ron explores his thoughtful approach to adapting artificial intelligence (AI) into his business practices, as well as the benefits of purposeful entrepreneurship.
Listen to the podcast to get even more inspiring guidance for building a company that lasts.
In summary, achieving small business success is always challenging, but it’s also within reach—with the right strategies and support. From building a strong, balanced team to leveraging invaluable resources like CX evaluations, small actions can create significant results. As Ron Welty’s insights demonstrate, success is about more than just hard work. It’s about creating a purposeful business that values both the customer and team. And it means exactly what you define it to be.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow even further, taking steps to improve customer experience and cultivate a motivated workforce can set your business on the path to true success.
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