Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ernestine Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ernestine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
My hope is that my legacy will inspire others to remain determined to thrive at life despite its ups and downs. Beginning with my two children Marcus and Deziree, I want them to know that I have learned (and am still learning) that life is truly a journey of decades that we must prepare for in advance as much as possible.
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 background and context?
Initially, I utilized Soapmaking as a form of Psychological and Emotional therapy before founding The Old Town Soap Company in 2012. My company now shares this wonderful craft by hand producing personal care and wellness products such as all-natural soaps, moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, essential oils and more for retail and private label. We also specialize in providing crafting workshops and private lessons for individuals, groups, businesses and organizations such as schools and non-profits.
One of the many things that sets us apart is the fact that we understand the importance of building quality relationships with our customers and business partners vice just selling to them. Additionally, we place a strong emphasis on providing valuable education to our customers as it pertains to their specific concerns.
We are most proud of the relationships and growth we have established over the past two years. At the start of the pandemic, we were forced to shut down and eventually relocated one hour away from our original location. Though we lost some market visibility in our hometown, we have since gained a substantial number of loyal supporters in our new location which has truly become a blessing.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
My advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale is for one to get to know their team members and their strengths and weaknesses. It is paramount that as leaders we provide a high quality of training and support while positioning team members according to their skills. Furthermore, it is important to have some level of patience and compassion towards team members since they are not robots that can easily be programmed. Lastly, it is equally important not to forget to create a fun work environment which can be therapeutic and actually increase productivity!!
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
We keep in touch with clients by reaching out to them to see how they are doing as well as their loved ones. We check on them via several means such as text, email, social media, etc. One of the ways in which we foster brand loyalty is through mailing out thank you cards as well as holiday gifts as a token of appreciation for their loyal support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theoldtownsoapcompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoldtownsoapcompany
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoldtownsoapcompany
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoldtownsoapcompany
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/totscbox
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uDow7K-rek
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-old-town-soap-company-san-diego?osq=the+old+town+soap+company
Image Credits
@d3ziree.jpg