We recently connected with Nicole Bailey and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.
I got married to my husband at a young age and throughout our marriage we both have owned and operated multiple businesses. By doing so, our children became thrusted into an entrepreneurial lifestyle. Very early on I began to think about leaving a business to my children so that they could carry on my legacy long after I was gone. There were times I tried to involve my children in business activities that did not fascinate them in any way shape or form. Overtime, I found myself having to calm down irritated little ones that were hungry, tired, and just wanted to do what all children enjoy doing, having fun. After a few years of resistance, I realized that boundaries needed to be established in order for me and my family to have a healthy relationship.
To own a family business is something that I’ve dreamt of accomplishing for many years but as my children grew into their own personalities, I realized my passion to run a family business wasn’t their passion. For many years this concerned me but as I move forward and continue to grow my business it’s been comforting to see my children flourish in the areas they desire to pursue. I had to learn how to stop adding pressure to my children’s life by feeling the need to groom them for a business they didn’t desire to own. Instead, I’ve decided to focus on inspiring others to use ingenuity and cultivate a family-like community among my staff with the hopes that someone from within the company will continue to carry on the values I built my business upon.
Nicole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
The Agorá Co., home and lifestyle brand, was established in 2018. As my passion grew for my family, traveling, decorating, and gardening, I became inspired to offer family oriented people with a creative flare for decorating and gardening, an opportunity to have an experience while shopping thoughtfully curated products to help enhance their lifestyle. My customers believe in inviting family and friends into their homes to make lots of memories, transform hearts but most importantly to live in a genuine way.
Daily operations are managed in Maryland. However, our products are sold exclusively online but shipped throughout the United States and Canada. In order to provide customers with quality products and exceptional customer service, The Agorá Co. is intentional about hiring staff that are multigenerational experts. By doing this, we are able to cultivate an environment that embraces traditions while building a better future for authentic home living.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Quarterly emails are sent to customers to keep them informed about workshops, sales, and pop up shop dates. To help foster brand loyalty, social media platforms are used to engage with my audience by posting new products, giveaways, DIY tips, testimonials, and photos showing how to decorate their home using The Agorá Co. products.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
The most effective strategy I have for growing my business thus far is providing exceptional old school customer service. The Agorá Co. believes in treating each customer as an individual and listening to cultivate an ongoing dialog between staff and customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theagoraco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theagoraco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064030510900
Image Credits
Zpotler Photography