We recently connected with Christopher Jackson and have shared our conversation below.

Christopher, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I think every small business owner has asked their respective family group/ friend group to support their business. Especially if you are just starting a business. To me, this is the initial thought process of every starting entrepreneur – they are going to start a business and all my friends and family are going to support. The issue is that the word ” support” is usually related to money and, when friends/family do not spend money on our business, we tend to categorize them as “non-supporters”.

I have many family members and friends that know of my business, but have not spent any money on the services my business offers. However, many of them have spread the word and have brought a considerable amount of business to me. So I would look at friends and family as your free “street team” that can be utilized to spread the word about what you have going on.

Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Chris Jackson better known as Cj. I come from a line of entrepreneurs. My grandfather owned a youth center and jazz club. My father owned a suit company and a temporary staffing firm, so it was only a matter of time before I was bit by the entrepreneur bug. I got into web design on accident. The job I was working at the time needed a website but could not afford web design services. I had taken a web design class in college as a needed elective to graduate. So, I volunteered to try. It was the ugliest website ever! But, my boss loved it. Then I received a referral from my boss to design another website. Eventually referrals started rolling in. My wife told me, “I think you should make this a legit business.” The next day I registered my LLC , and here we are!

My entire focus is to help small business owner’s setup their marketing structure so they can capture leads, close sales, and build a community with their clients. We accomplish this through providing web design, content creation/coaching, and marketing funnel building and automation.

I’ve been fortunate to help over one hundred small businesses achieve success and I’m looking forward to helping hundreds more.

My brand is all about serving the small business owner. Expect to be served with integrity, I put my all into every project, and I have fun doing it as well!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Shockingly, in the midst of social media, word of mouth has been the best source of business for me. The best source of a new client, is a happy former client. I have a referral system in place that gives an incentive to pass along the word of my business.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

So, this is one of the most overlooked parts of marketing. Brand loyalty is built through a combination of things. For me I use social media to stay in communication with client’s and potential clients. I also use a mailer system that sends out emails throughout each month. The main ingredient is to be yourself. The small business world allows us to build a close level of relationship with clients. Most people are going to do business with you because they connect with you on a certain level personally. This can be due to hearing your story, or seeing your content on social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: wherescj.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/wherescj

Image Credits
Action Shots by J.Mace Photography Personal Portraits by Briana Clarke