Business Focus Weekly
A publication focused on helping your business to grow and become more focused.
Kinney Photography
Owner: Michael Kinney

KW: Tell us about your business.
MK: When I was on my honeymoon 11 years ago, I decided to buy a camera, and that’s how it started. People then started paying me to do photos for their events. I was an easy sale, even during the recession. I was paid hourly by several hotels and event centers where I took photos of items with their logos on them, with people in the background so they could tag themselves – which gave them a good return on investment and grew quickly in popularity. I want to bring a new idea for each customer, that highlights something amazing during their experience or event. 

KW: Who is your target customer?
MK: I would say 90% real estate, specifically in the greater Spokane area, and sometimes destination weddings.

KW: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
MK: For my business, Covid-19 impacted it negatively, but also positively, so it was kind of offset. I lost out in revenue from destination weddings and moved them to 2021. On the flipside, video demand increased for real estate house shoots – since people were no longer able to go inside the homes.

KW: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
MK: Putting out awareness of products or ways I can help my clients during the pandemic that will apply to them has been the biggest difference. Video demand increased when clients previously did not know I offered that service.

KW: What is a mistake you’ve made along the way that other people can learn from?
MK: The big mistake I made when I started out was being scared to fail. If you understand failure is a part of success, and you embrace that, you can look for ways to make that failure work for you. 9 out of 10 businesses fail. Don’t get down on yourself – keep trying until you get it right.

KW: What is inspiring to you today?
MK: I would have to say Jesus Christ because he is our savior.

Kinney Photography
Owner: Michael Kinney
509-290-8795
michael@kinneyphoto.com

By Kendra Wiiest
Bottles Wine & Beer
Owner: Josh Robson

KW: Tell us about your business.
JR: We have a huge selection of wine and beer to go, up to 500 different beers and 500 different wines to choose from. We also have the option for customers to drink both those items here. We have 23 beers on draft and snacks. And, we have the best charcuterie plate in town. Bottles Wine & Beer has been open since 2008.

KW: Who is your target customer?
JR: We’ve had 21 to 80 year-olds, but we currently focus on 30 to 70 year-olds. It is a wide range.

KW: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
JR: When we couldn’t have people inside or on the patio, we were only open for four hours a day, just for to-go orders. We were buying more cans and to-go items, which did not bring in as much profit as glass pours.

KW: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
JR: We put up tents for outside seating for the cold weather and that worked really well. Now we are able to open the doors and allow a few customers to come in.

KW: What is a mistake you’ve made along the way that other people can learn from?
JR: Not going bigger fast enough. I invested too slow in the beginning, and I should have done what we have now – a better building, better set-up, more taps, more wine selection, more exposure to the road – just a better location. 

KW: What is inspiring to you today?
JR: The community we live in has stepped up big time. When things have been bad for other businesses, we have been lucky with our customers. They have been taking care of us.

OFFER: Mention this newsletter and receive 15% off your total order. 

Bottles Wine & Beer
Owner: Josh Robson
509-443-4027
bottlesmillwood@outlook.com
Facebook & Instagram: bottlesspokane

By Kendra Wiiest
Mobile Billboards Northwest
Owner: Ted Carroll

KW: Tell us about your business.
TC: We provide an alternative to other forms of outdoor advertising. It falls in the experiential marketing area. We can bring the billboards to wherever the business is or where its need is. We park our billboards at specific locations and do swag handouts as well. We are always trying to do something different. We also have “street teams” riding bicycles with small signs or billboards...or with backpacks that can help hand out items during events. We can also play videos with sound on the billboards. We have been in business for 2 years now.

KW: Who is your target customer?
TC: Some of the best customers I have are Numerica Credit union, T mobile, Boeing employees CU, and Crumble cookie. We’ve recently worked with GSI to help spread information about Covid-19. We primarily work with the banking industry and education/healthcare industries.

KW: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
TC: Events are huge for what we do. Since people aren’t able to get together – like Bloomsday and Hoopfest – it has had a huge impact.

KW: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
TC: I have changed gears toward people that have been given grant money to spread the word about Covid. I’ve been finding out what they are doing to get the message out and offering an additional way to get the message out. That has opened the door to a few government agencies like the GSI and Spokane regional health district.

KW: What is a mistake you’ve made along the way that other people can learn from?
TC: Even though I had a lot of experience in the billboard business, starting up your own business is a different animal. You need to -remember to pull yourself back a little bit and be willing to talk to other people that can help. Don't get too anxious, do your research. There are people that want to help, but also may want to take advantage. Really take your time and think it through – speak to as many people as you can that are in business.

KW: What is inspiring to you today?
TC: Being able to live in a country that allows you to chase after your own opportunities. What motivates me is taking care of my family.

OFFER: We carry any length of time contracts: mention this newsletter – I will give a 30% discount on a daily rate.

Mobile Billboards Northwest
Owner: Ted Carroll
509-951-8305
Ted@mobilebillboardsnorthwest.com

By Kendra Wiiest
The Insurance Guys
Owner: Brian McNaughton

KW: Tell us about your business.
BM: We are an Independent Insurance Agency that has been open since October of 2005. I deal with personal lines, auto, home, boat, RV. We also do commercial insurance dealing with service, manufacturer, etc. I focus more on small businesses, like tree removal, older hotels, and mechanics. We also sell life insurance.

KW: Who is your target customer?
BM: Personal lines – people that are multi-car homeowners and have toys like boats and jet skis. Our niche is the younger people that are just coming into the purchasing market, and we really try to save them money. We want them to become customers for life with us – we can change insurance companies for them throughout their lifetime, but we would like them to stay customers with us.

KW: What has been the greatest impact of COVID-19 on your business?
BM: The limit on face-to-face interactions with clients has been the greatest impact on our business. We now have 2 clients come into the office, but previously had 20 per week.

KW: What are one or two actions you’ve taken to make a difference?
BM: Since people are working from home, they want to talk to us more. We have developed better listening skills and talk to them longer on the phone. I spend half of my day on the phone now. We also tuned up our skills on emails, since people use that more often.

KW: What is a mistake you’ve made along the way that other people can learn from?
BM: I learned a long time ago, when you get done doing a presentation in front of a client, if you weren’t successful with the outcome, you go back and digest it – figure out what caused it to not be a success. Was it a minor voice tone? Did I not respond quickly enough? Did we make an error and not correct it? Figure out what you can do to make it better. Then ask for forgiveness – don't just say you’re sorry. Another mistake: at the beginning, I was wasting my time buying internet leads from a lead generator. The quality of leads provided was very low. I figured out I needed to work more with referrals instead.

KW: What is inspiring to you today?
BM: I enjoy guiding the younger generations who are just starting out in life by working with them on insurance policies. It is rewarding to help the next generation. Especially since they’ll be pushing my wheelchair for me. Young people are always looking toward the future.

OFFER: Our referral program is: for qualifying quotes, we will give out a $10 papa murphy’s gift card. 

The Insurance Guys
Owner: Brian McNaughton
509-532-0388
briantheinsuranceguy@gmail.com

By Kendra Wiiest
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