Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alicia Washington . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I came up with the idea for my business because there was a need in the surrounding areas and rural areas for CPR , Marketing and Business startups. I did my research of existing businesses in my field and figured out how I can do it better ( either cheaper , more knowledgeable or maybe faster in response time).It sure wasn’t easy at first, I had sleepless nights, I prayed to not fail at what I was developing . I worked very hard at developing the curriculum and business plan of my business and making it appealing to the public. By being a business owner it is only about daring and taking risks. There were too many ideas undeveloped. I just had to sit down and focus and do it.

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?

My name is Alicia Mel. Washington. I have an Associate degree in Business Administration , Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration and Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Strayer University. I have been in business since 2009. My purpose of starting this business is to bring knowledgeable information to the public. First, I am a CPR Instructor Trainer and I teach future students in becoming BLS instructors and help them start and maintain their own business. Second,I teach Marketing classes to those who want to expand their business and promote their business to their highest potential. I am also a Business Consultant. I work with individuals that want to start their own business. I show them step by step how to obtain and maintain their business the right way. I am an Ordained Minister. And finally I am a tutor. I tutor students from Pre-School to College and beyond.

On my off time I’m a MA (Medical Assistant) Instructor and Adjunct professor. I am also pursuing my Doctorate degree. I am also a Pharmacy Tech. We are always building our brand  and adding to the business daily.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Yes I do sell on my site and I also sell my products on:Amazon, Mercari, EBay, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, Snapchat etc. Amazon is the only one that charges a higher fee per month.. The other sites that I use do charge a fee but it’s a low fee.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I will tell you , you can’t build your audience overnight. It takes patience ,prayer and practice. I started out on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok etc. I sent out friend requests to my pages and did paid advertisements on the sites until I felt like I reached enough potential clients. Also word of mouth , hats , t-shirts, pens, tumblers, Google, Bing, business cards, flyers, I went to events and advertised. I put all my social media accounts on everything so they can go and like all my pages. You have to put your business out there and everywhere so your business can be noticed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deldatrainingservices.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/delda_training_services_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deldatrainingservices
• Linkedin: www.linkedIn.com/company/deldatrainingservices/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/DeldatrainingIT
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/delda-training-services-augusta
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/deldaconsultingservices https://www.facebook.com/lisas24moblienotary