Business Owners Speak Out

A collection of short interviews and education from local business owners with amazing insights to today's challenges.

We virtually interviewed some of the top small businesses to take a look at what's really happening during the COVID-19 Crisis. Everyone has some important tips to share with other business owners and a few even have a special offer to share. Check out their interviews and MOST IMPORTANTLY visit their websites and check out their services.  Every small business needs us now (and probably yours too!)


OH, And, learn from their mistakes.... hear what they've done wrong so you can do it right! 


Mary Sculley, The Exercise Coach

We offer highly personalized and optimized high intensity workouts. These 20-minute HIIT sessions are unique and effective programs powered by Exerbotics®, the premier strength training technology in existence. We use innovative solutions to meet your needs. 

Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience? We target 3 profiles.  

  • Busy professional age 45-70 who used to be fit and are no longer fit due to life. 
  • Injured clients who can’t do a regular workout  
  • People who don’t know what to do & don’t like the gym  

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? Cash flow in a nutshell.  We were forced to shut down. Due to the studio closing there were no monthly auto payments being drafted. An indirect impact is anticipating which clients we are going to lose because they are fearful of coming back.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? Every week we contact our clients, send out weekly informative emails, and provide virtual work outs 2 times a week. 

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others? We didn't have any sales & marketing experience in the beginning.  We learned the hard way what did and didn’t work and spent a lot of money on marketing in the process. We also made the mistake of hiring a consultant.  What I would say was our biggest mistake was hiring a PR person. We now know how to access the right resources for sales & marketing.  

What is most inspiring to you today? Loyalty of clients and the resilience of the American people 

Offer:  We are offering 2 FREE sessions to get started with no obligation. Contact The Exercise Coach for more details.  

Contact:
917-718-9530 https://exercisecoach.com/preston-hollow/ 
msculley01@gmail.com 


Mark Mitford, HR Catalyst   
We help small to middle market size clients that are anywhere from 25-300 employees to create and implement a people strategy for their business. By doing this clients drive higher revenue and profitability. We act like the VP of HR for our clients. We work with clients to create the right processes and programs to be able to grow their business to the next level of success.  

Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience? Companies between 25 – 500 employees can benefit greatly from having human resources (HR) thought leadership on a part-time (fractional) or project basis. We target businesses with revenue between 3-75 million.  We work with companies that are good in sales & marketing but struggle with the people side of business.  

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? We have been able to continue to gain clients and help many clients/businesses move through some of the challenges from COIVD-19. Some businesses were able to stay open and keep their employees safe. However, some clients did have to postpone or stop services.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? We are making more of a presence on social media and spending more time writing content and targeting prospective clients. This phase has allowed us to take the time to step back and strategize.  

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others? When we started in 2013, we didn’t build a good strategic plan.  Instead we jumped into the deep end and just started doing. We needed to spend the time to build a solid foundation.  

What is most inspiring to you today? Having the opportunity to have business owners navigate through COVID-19 crisis and being able to offer them great HR advice on how to run their business more successfully each day. 

Offer: For anyone who receives this message through ActionCOACH we are currently offering a 2-4 hour HR assessment. This assessment is a $1,000 value and comes with a set of recommendations. Offer valid through June 30, 2020. Contact HR Catalyst for more information.  

Contact
214-546-3141
https://hrcatalystconsulting.com/ 
mmitford@hrcatalystconsulting.com 



Jonathan Meek, CBD Country  

Together my wife and I worked with a chemist to create clean CBD products. We have 3 topical, 1 pet tincture, and 5 tinctures for human consumption.  We have even brought on hemp flower that we get directly from the farmer. All our products are high quality and we can trace each product all the way back to the source. 

Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience? We are able to serve everyone from small children to upper 90s. Customers age 18-30 are more accepting of the smokable CBD and customers 30-50 years old enjoy the tinctures and topicals.  

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? We had to shut down our store front and continued to sell our products through our online store. This is not ideal for online platforms and we prefer to educate and interact with customers face to face.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? The biggest action to make a difference was to focus on education, teaching people the difference between CBD & Marijuana. We also started making masks for the community and were able to donate upwards of 300 masks.  

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others? We invested in trade shows in the beginning & as a retailer it wasn’t quite the right market. It ended up being more business to business vs business to consumer. I would recommend focus on marketing and creating your own product.  

What is most inspiring to you today? My wife. Watching her suffering from MS and still getting up, working, and parenting our 5 kids.  

Offer: CBD Country is now offering 10% off your entire order with discount code ‘CBD10’. They are also offering local delivery in DFW during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information contact CBD Country.  

Contact: 
214-530-1521
www.thecbdcountry.com 
cbdcountry@gmail.com 

Robert O'Neal, 78 Backyard Concepts: 
I started the business in 1978 in NW Dallas. I was on spring break and started repairing a fence for my dad when some neighbors saw and hired me to fix their fences.  I became the fence doctor. I worked as the fence doctor for almost 30 years until I created 78 Backyard Concepts. During this time we have worked on projects for boarder patrol, Pepsi-Cola, Frito Lay - you name it. We have a lot of different projects almost all outdoors but a couple times we have done indoor fences. I enjoy making a difference for people and having clients dream become a reality. 

 Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience?  High-end residential clients needing specific results and referrals.   

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? We have been busy leading up to the last 2 week and then extremely busy the last 2 weeks. We have transitioned to more government projects and spend the days returning calls. With clients spending more time are home we are receiving many leads a day.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? One thing we are doing that makes a BIG difference is an online live presentation via phone. This way we are able to present the proposal, set follow-ups, and begin to grow rapport.  

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others?  Bob miller said it best “tuition is expensive in the business world”. I recommend building a relationship with your clients and with potential clients you want to create a good working relationship.  

What is most inspiring to you today? Sean Schoenmakers & his advice. 

Offer: We are currently offering no obligation consultations. Contact 78 Backyard Concepts for more information.  

Contact:
214-351-0212
http://www.78backyardconcepts.com/ 
robert@78backyardconcepts.com 




Nielsen Hernandez, Nielsen’s Painting and Remodeling  I stated back in 2004 and everything in the beginning was paint. I was a painter by trade so it is what I knew best. In 2008 we started booking more remodeling jobs and in 2011 is when we went all in and created Nielsen’s Painting and Remodeling.  

Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience? We serve the DFW metroplex. We target anyone who wants a quality job. Ideally, someone who wants to stay in their house for 5-10 years so they can get the value out of the project.  

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? We have had to learn a new way to stay in business. We are working to communicate to customers that we are still open and in business but as a result of COVID-19 business has slowed down. Communication has been key and we are also trying to give people the assurance that they are going to be safe working with us.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? We have tried new ways to get income. We are doing new things, for example patios and windows. We can offer new services due to the extra time. We are also saving time on commuting by meeting via zoom.

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others? The #1 thing would be not learning from my mistakes and others mistakes soon enough.  It is my biggest regret. I took action without enough knowledge in place. It’s important to have a mentor or coach because you don’t know what you don’t know. I would say talking to people that have done it or reading books.  There are many possibilities to learn from others.    

What is most inspiring to you today? 
Being able to improve people's lives and being able to improve the way they live in their home.  

Offer: We are currently giving away FREE quarts on a full bathroom remodel. Remodel must be at least a $30k project. We also offer financing up to 12 years starting at 4.5%. Valid for 60 days. Contact Nielsen’s Painting & Remodeling for more information.  

Contact: 
(214)-400-4585 https://nielsenspaintingandremodeling.com/ 
sales@nielsenspr.com 

BukeKile Dube, New Horizon Homes 
New Horizon Homes is a boutique assisted living in a residential setting. We offer highly personalized care to our residents. We really offer a solution to assisted living by allowing our elderly to age in a dignified way.  

Who do you consider your best customer or Target audience? Women between the age of 45-70. Women typically make the decisions for their parents. We are able to serve their loved ones. 

What's been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business? We are the epicenter of COVID-19 because we serve seniors and they are most effected and impacted. To contain and prevent any infections within our homes we have not been able to take on any new clients and we have had to put strict scheduling on our staff. Families have been banned from homes and visits are restricted. Through a third party we are now doing antibody testing for prospects on the day of move in.  

What are some actions you have taken to make a difference? My team of caregivers unanimously agreed to be on lockdown with our residents and do what matters most in keeping our residents safe. We do not have in-and-out caregivers and we are committed to holding our values and acting boldly to do the right thing for people.  

It's been said that smart people learn from their mistakes, but the wise learn from the mistakes of others. What are some mistakes that you’ve made that could help others? We were impatient with the HR staff accepting excellence and being uncompromising. I learned it was really important to pour into staff from a holistic stand point.  We care about their needs and success. Understand their aspirations and try to seek goal alignment. That makes for better staff retention.  

What is most inspiring to you today? Everyone that is working on the front line and sacrificing so much. 

Offer: We are discounting the move-in community fee by $500 until July 1 for new residents. Contact New Horizon Homes for more information  

Contact:
(214) 315- 5365
https://www.nhresidentialcare.com/ 
bukekile@nhresidentialcare.com

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