Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamila Conley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jamila, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
Being in the customer service industry, the customer experience is paramount. Surviving in the post pandemic food and beverage industry, giving customers a reason to come back is even more important. As a consumer I look for one thing when I walk into a business, especially a small business, and that is being welcomed in. If not, that sets the tone for how long I’ll stay and if I want to buy. This is something that is small but drives big decisions for the bottom line of any business. For WeRise, the customer experience starts with welcoming every customer into our space and letting them know we want them there. This small gesture sets the tone for a great experience of delight.
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?
Yes I am the owner of WeRise Wines and mission driven wine company focused on highlighting underrepresented wineries and winemakers. We do this to help have a more equitable wine industry, especially in the changing landscape of wine and how Gen Z is choosing how they drink and who they support. I am a former tech exec that wanted to pivot into something that could drive more intentional impact while bringing communities together in our space in Seattle, WA.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
In my corporate tech career I led teams that were focused on understanding business processes to determine how technology could help automate those processes. Our goal was to reduce as many manual processes as possible with the aim to driven efficiencies through automation. When I became an entrepreneur, I’ve had to learn patience with manual processes, and even with technology to assist, sometimes the manual process is better for small teams to be effective. It’s a different thought process to learn how to apply a lot of my big company thinking to a small business with the right balance.
How did you build your audience on social media?
One of the things I definitely learned in my corporate roles was the importance of branding so as soon as I formed my LLC I started building my brand. I had a presence on social media before I had a website. It was important to start promoting our mission as soon as possible, months before we had any product to sell. It helped us gain traction and an audience early. Your brand is more than a name but it’s your value proposition and your biggest asset for selling your company in the future. My advice is to start early, have a solid vision and share that with people, learn from what works and lands with people and continue to build from there. Don’t let your personal feelings about social media hold you back from what your business brand needs. I meet a lot of business owners who don’t use social media because they personally don’t like to post. You have to remember that even as a small business that your business brand is separate from you as the individual and it has different needs from what you need as an individual.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.werisewines.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/werisewines/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/werisewines/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-conley/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=werise+wines
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/werise-wine-bar-seattle
