We were lucky to catch up with Gina McNeil recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
First step in scaling up, and I didn’t even realize I was in this stage til hindsight, was wrapping my mind around the reality of my business. Being real about where it was, it’s weak points, and it’s strong suits gave me a good starting point for moving up. After taking a look at the business’ status, I then took a realistic look at my contribution. Do I invest as much time and money as I can? If that answer isn’t a yes (and it wasn’t for me!), thr path to scaling up was made crystal clear. I saw turn around for the better not long after moving more like I believed in my business, as opposed to moving like I was scared of trying too hard. Investing in networking opportunities, quality branding, local events, etc. can be scary. However, I find that it is true that one must spend money to make money in most cases. For those that are operators as well as owners, time and faith investment are also required.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My business was born from my childhood experiences. Making art for my mother and baking oatmeal cookies with my father and sister were moments that I’ll hold forever. When I decided to work for myself, I thought that I would be happiest building a business from my most cherished experiences. With that, Cookie Central Memphis was created. Combining sweets with art and creativity have proven to be just as rewarding and fun as I had hoped.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Building my reputation is an ongoing responsibility that took a lot of learning and doing so has taught me a load of lessons because I came from little to no knowledge prior to begining. Some things I’ve learned include, but definitely not limited to, purchase for quality and you will be rewarded by flavor, stay true to your principles and you will be rewarded by goodness, put yourself out there and you will be rewarded by community. There is where a strong reputation is built.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
A few things I found foster an ongoing relationship with clients. Inviting feedback let’s them know you value their input and that your product is made with them in mind. Providing a complimentary “I Support Black Business” cookie with each order gives them a personal sense of who we are. Lastly, giving great customer service makes a lasting positive impression that they keep in mind in the future.
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