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Business Focus Weekly

A publication focused on helping your business to grow and become more focused.

Table of Contents

Interviews:

Tom Ourada with Ourada Designs

Alayne Schneider and Jessica Johnson with J&S Industries

Marcy Cockle with Cockle Custom Welding

Chadlea Beznaijuia with Touchstone Real Estate Group

CEO of the Year - Ray Skelton with Specialty Group - BizX America Awards

Interview with Tom Ourada

Ourada Designs

AC: Tell us about your business.

TO: I work with people to design custom floors for their home, which include their kitchen, bathrooms, or any room in the house. I have won 3 awards for the floors that I’ve designed.I have been doing this since I was 15 – have lots of experience and listen well to what the customer wants.

AC: Who is your target customer?

TO: Those who appreciate artistic functionality with an eye towards uniqueness. My target audience is not those who are "keeping up with Jones'" but rather they are the Jones'. In my experience, working with designers, custom home builders, and architects are often great paths to connecting with the perfect client.

AC: What has been the greatest impact of covid-19 on your business?

TO: Everyone wanting stuff done in their homes because they’re home all the time. People have been more willing to wait since business has increased.

AC: What are one or two actions you have taken to make a difference?

TO: I’ve worked more hours during the day and that has made me tired. I’ve had to drop areas of the business in order to keep up.

AC: What is one mistake you have made along the way that other people can learn from?

TO: First off, focus on one thing – don’t do everything. You can become really good at one thing and that becomes second nature – then you can focus on another area and eventually you can become great at that too.

AC: What is inspiring to you today?

TO: To be around other people who are succeeding and really love their work. The ones that are trying to better themselves. I have friends that are constantly working hard to be something better. You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most.

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Contact:

Tom Ourada

509-389-8728

ouradadesigns.com

tom@ouradadesigns.com

Interview with Alayne Schneider and Jessica Johnson

J&S Industries

AC: Tell us about your business.

A&J: We are an e-commerce business that helps on the fulfillment side. We ship, store and package for any products they want to sell online. The other side of our company is a customer service center that provides email, chat, text, phone support, and bank disputes to companies across the country.

AC: Who is your target customer?

A&J: Ecommerce business owners from any business that needs to ship product, or provide customer service.

AC: What has been the greatest impact of covid-19 on your business?

A&J: In the beginning, there were a lot of people stuck at home and online shopping. That helped a lot at first. But then they shut down China – which is where our biggest client is – our business took a big hit. On the customer service dropped dramatically when there was nothing to ship -there were no customers to help on the shipping side of it.

AC: What are one or two actions you have taken to make a difference?

A&J: There wasn’t much we could do because we work for others whose businesses were really suffering because of the pandemic. We tried a bit of marketing through Facebook ads, did a lot of sales and promotions. We signed up with a company whose main focus was customers that were looking for businesses like ours.

AC: What is one mistake you have made along the way that other people can learn from?

A&J: A big mistake we made was thinking that we were golden with what we had. But then companies slow down or went out of business and that really hurt. We also saw a lot of other businesses spend beyond what they made or should have been, so we learned quickly to budget and only spend what we had. We think in a bigger picture and choose wisely about what we spend. Be financially proactive and prepared.

AC: What is inspiring to you today?

A&J: Our kids!! Our schedules are super busy, so it’s great to own a business where we can make our own hours. We make sure our clients have everything they need so that we can each spend more time with our kids!

OFFER: Mention this newsletter and sign up to receive a 10% off the first three months of services.

Contact:

Alayne Schneider and Jessica Johnson

(208) 704-5920

jsindustriesllc.com

Interview with Marcy Cockle

Cockle Custom Welding

AC: Tell us about your business.

MC: We are a custom welding company. We are a true bootstrap company, started in 2000, Ron wanted to start his own business after being laid off from another company. We had no money, no equipment or shop – so we built it with our own sweat and tears. We are the sole owners, gain assets, and have very little debt.

AC: Who is your target customer?

MC: We are an outsource welding shop to our main customer -scafco welding systems. We are multiple facets with them. Currently, we are their main outside welding shop. We also work with Advanced Welding Services, as an outside welding shop for them doing mostly schools. We are currently working on the new Shaw Middle School in Spokane.

AC: What has been the greatest impact of covid-19 on your business?

MC: Our welding shop was deemed an essential business through the pandemic. None of our employees have tested positive for covid. The biggest impact for us has been not being able to get supplies from other vendors.

AC: What are one or two actions you have taken to make a difference?

MC: We’ve tried to project what we need and improve communication through our shop from the guys that work with us vs. being surprised and running out of product. We’ve also looked for other resources from other vendors.

AC: What is one mistake you have made along the way that other people can learn from?

MC: My advice for other people: #1: don’t over-extend yourself with credit. Cash is king and cashflow is queen. Cashflow spreadsheets are very important in a company. #2: When dealing with customers, the old way of a contract by handshakes is no longer valid. Always stay true to your gut feeling and create contracts – especially if you’re not sure about someone else being true to their word.

AC: What is inspiring to you today?

MC: My family! We are a family-owned business, our son and his family are working for us, which means our entire family unit is part of the business. The biggest thing that gets me out of bed is life and everybody that is part of our business which a connection of people that drives us for bigger and greater things to come!

Contact:

Marcy Cockle

509-251-5112

www.cocklewelding.com

cocklewelding@centurytel.net

Interview with Chadlea Beznaijuia

Touchstone Real Estate Group

AC: Tell us about your business.

CB: I work for touchstone real estate, based out of Cheney. We have five agents right now. I help both buyers and sellers, focusing more on first-time home buyers, and using down payment assistance programs.

AC: Who is your target customer?

CB: First-time homebuyers in the greater Spokane area.

AC: What has been the greatest impact of covid-19 on your business?

CB: Coming up with creative ways to bring in new business, figuring out all the technical challenges of using things like Zoom. On the flip side, it has opened up more ways of communicating with potential clients. I’ve had out-of-state buyers able to go through the whole process virtually.

AC: What are one or two actions you have taken to make a difference?

CB: Becoming more involved in my own community. Looking for opportunities that I can contribute, and share resources about it through social media.

AC: What is one mistake you have made along the way that other people can learn from?

CB: The first thing was not having a business plan when I started. I have always been a play-it-by-ear person. Being more organized in your own goals and plans makes it so that all the correct systems are in place when you are ready to take on new clients.

AC: What is inspiring to you today?

CB: The people I surround myself with. There are a lot of wonderful people I work with, they make me feel like I’m part of a team. We always band together during difficult times to help out.

Contact:

Chadlea Beznaijuia

509-499-5225

touchstoneinw.com

Chadlea@touchstoneinw.com

2021 BizX Americas - CEO of the Year

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Useful Business Thought of the Week