We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ana Powell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

At our core, we whole-heartedly believe in the principle of treating people the way we want to be treated. This philosophy resonates in every interaction we have with our clients and that’s why we make it a point to show our gratitude at each turn- from initial inquiry to the time they leave us a review, we’re thanking them!

During our first winter in business, we decided to send holiday cards to just about every client we had worked with throughout the year. We wanted our clients to have a tangible token of how thankful we were for their business, trust and the opportunity to serve – especially since we were a brand new small business. The tradition of sending holiday cards to friends and family is one that Brandon and I started when we got married and I couldn’t wait to carry it into our business. From selecting the perfect card and matching stationery to hand-addressing and stamping every envelope, it was a true labor of love.

Another thing we did last December was team up with 3 other local small businesses and put together an event called ‘Hot Chocolate and Holiday Photos’. The event featured free hot chocolates, goodie bags for kids, along with free professional holiday photos and let me tell you, it was a hit!

Customer appreciation, much like customer service, should be approached with care and intention. Whether it’s by text, phone call, or email, Brandon or I personally reach out to our clients, within 24 to 48 hours, to express our gratefulness for their business and the opportunity to serve. In essence, showing appreciation isn’t just something we do; it’s rooted as a part of who we are.

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?

First and foremost, thank you for the opportunity to share our story and business with your readers.

For the folks who may not have read about us before, we are excited to introduce you to the Hyattsville Business Center. The Hyattsville Business Center (affectionally referred to as the HBC) is a coworking and meeting space in the heart of Hyattsville, Maryland tailored to small business owners and modern professionals in need of a place to get their hustle on.

Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown lifted, I found myself on a quest for a coworking space that was affordable, offered basic office amenities, and had a strong sense of community. However, despite my insistent searching, I came up short; the coworking places I found were either too expensive, too exclusive, lacked basic workday conveniences or lacked the community I was eager to find. The realization of this significant gap in the market for such a village is what inspired the creation of the HBC.

At the Hyattsville Business Center, we offer a wide variety of services designed to meet the unique needs of our clients: entrepreneurs, remote and traveling professionals, and freelancers.

For those of you seeking a traditional office setting, our coworking day pass provides complimentary access to high-speed WiFi, a multi-function printer for printing, copying, scanning and faxing services, basic office supplies, and light refreshments to make sure your workday with us is a productive one.

If you’re in need of a place to host small business-related events, we’ve got you covered! Our versatile suite can accommodate small business-related events such as popup shops, book signings, corporate meetings, business or product launches, photoshoots, workshops, fundraisers, art shows, seminars, and more. Featuring an open floor plan, all private rentals include enough tables and chairs to accommodate 44 guests, access to a dedicated fully furnished kitchenette, and audio/visual equipment, ensuring that your event, no matter how big or small, is well-supported.

One thing that truly sets the HBC apart from other coworking and meeting spaces, aside from being a one-stop shop, is our personable business model. When it comes to communications, our clients exclusively only deal with Brandon or I. By prioritizing these interactions, we get the opportunity to provide personalized attention to everyone and build genuine connections.

It wasn’t until after we opened our doors though that we actually realized the significant impact we could make. Seeing our clients succeed and knowing that we played a part in their journeys has been incredibly humbling and only reinforces our belief that teamwork truly does makes the dream work. At the HBC, we’re more than just the physical space and amenities we offer – we’re a team dedicated to helping you win.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

In today’s digital age, it is a common practice that most people, myself included, check out a company’s website or social media pages before even initiating contact. This is why social media is such a crucial tool for most businesses, regardless of size or industry.

When the time came for us to initiate our social presence, we knew that at a base level, we wanted to be authentic with it. People connect with people, not brands, or ads, and this mindset has allowed us to cultivate a genuine and loyal online community, organically. To date, we have not done any paid social media ads.

For the Hyattsville Business Center, our belief in quality over quantity applies to both our followers and our content. When we share something, it’s something meaningful, entertaining, educational, or inspirational. We don’t post just for the sake of it. We post real clients, honest reviews, actual events, candid moments, and showcase our space authentically. This kind of transparency has helped us build trust, reliability and relatability that expands far beyond our online reach.

Our small but mighty online community routinely garners impressive engagement numbers but keep in mind, it both works ways. Building an interactive audience requires more than just posting pictures and reels – it requires engaging with your followers by responding to comments, asking questions, encouraging discussions, liking posts, commenting, reposting local businesses and community events, etc.

For a small business in particular, a well-curated online presence kind of goes hand-in-hand with the customer service experience so another aspect that I believe has been pivotal to our social media success is my ability to manage it in-house. No one knows our brand’s personality, goals, or client base better than me so why not couple that with my previous social media management experience? By managing our Facebook and Instagram accounts instead of outsourcing, I know exactly what content is being put out and when. I get to know our followers, see who’s interacting with us, respond to DM’s/inquiries almost instantly, ensure that important announcements go out in a timely manner and my personal favorite, knowing that all my interactions reflect our brand accurately and effectively.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone just starting to build their online presence is to be authentic!! Share genuine content and tell your brand’s story. Engage with your audience, no matter how big or small. Focus on quality, not quantity and last but not least, don’t be too hard on yourself. We all start from zero and there are over 2 billion active users on Facebook and Instagram. If you put in the work, the right people will come.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a kid, I believed that a nice car, a house with a white picket fence, and a stable job were staple things that were needed to signify you’d achieved the American Dream.

Growing up, my mother, a Cuban immigrant, embodied the traditional values of the US. She worked hard, and tirelessly to make ends meet, often burning the candle at both ends. She was my superhero, and it was her resilience that shaped my relentless work ethic as well as my understanding of what it took to succeed. By the time I turned 18, I was convinced that a college education and hard work were all that I needed to attain the American dream, especially since they drilled that into our heads all throughout grade school. However, as I grew older, I began to realize that the dream was not one-size-fits-all.

With uncontrollable student loan debt looming over many post graduates, a ridiculous housing market, a global pandemic, and inflation crippling our economy, times have definitely changed and status symbols as we knew them have changed. For some people, a car, stable job, and home are still the goal. For others, it’s the freedom to purse a passion like starting a non-profit organization to help children or pursuing a creative passion like architecture.

When it comes to me, I’m living my new found dream! I’ve been given the opportunity to be small business owner, affording me the ability to control my own schedule and provide for my family without having to sacrifice my personal well-being. Knowing that it’s possible to customize your dream is something very significant to a first generation kid like me. My mother came to this country in 1980 with little more than hope and a prayer so my being a college graduate and entrepreneur is testament to the fact that anything is possible. The thing is, you have to pursue your dreams with everything you’ve got.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Hyattsvillebusinesscenter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hyattsvillebusinesscenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HyattsvilleBusinessCenter/

Image Credits

Don Osorio, AfterImage Photography, MM Properties Group, and Shawn Mason