When entrepreneurs decide to follow their dreams, be their own boss and open up a small business, they want immediate success. But many lack the sense of hard work and preparation to be successful.
Like any other town or city, Bowling Green has its fair share of failed businesses.
Whether it’s local eateries like Night Flight Pizza and W.G. Grinders, national entities Skyline Chili and Sterling Convenience Stores, or stores with seemingly cursed leases (The Shed, Eclipse), some are not destined for success.
Even though a freak accident could occur to a place, such as what happened to Eclipse when it caught on fire last April, most likely it would be a failure to the owner.
But not everything can be blamed on luck itself.
While an idea may seem good, the execution of mastering all business stages is how an owner can be successful.
Executive Director for Bowling Green’s Chamber of Commerce Elaine Skoog believes owners need to be fully prepared to enter any area, not just Bowling Green. To understand the area, preparation, time management and research are the essentials for succeeding in business, regardless of the area, Skoog said.
“It’s really important to have a business plan and be willing to constantly review and modify the plan,” Skoog said.
Bowling Green is not a standout case for businesses coming and going. Owners need to understand their market and carry out their product to their clients’ needs, Skoog said.
Some local businesses should be models of how to excel in business in Bowling Green.
Finders Records, one of the more popular, independently owned stores with students, maintains success by making sure there is a vast array of music to select from for any person.
“We try to keep everything as far as what we carry in the store as diverse as we can and appeal to all ages,” said Laura Fredericks, store manager of Finders.
Finders will even go one step further to satisfy clients by ordering a particular record not carried in the store.
“Pay attention to what your customers want, have what they need and do whatever you can to give them what they need,” Fredericks said. “Just cater to the customer.”
Customer satisfaction is the main priority of two equal partners who are starting up their own business.
Equal partners Ryan Walkin and Carey Simon welcomed customers to their newest venture, Ryno’s Bar and Grill. Located in Toledo, they have the same motto as Finders: establishing positive relationships with the customer and employees.
“You treat employees, vendors and customers the same. They are all integral to the success of the business,” Simon said.
Maintaining those relationships are essential for the business to stay successful as well.
“You piss off one person, they are going to tell 100. Whatever we have to do to keep the customer happy, we’ll do,” Walkin said
The two of them researched the area beforehand and realized there was no service like Ryno’s being provided to the neighborhood.
By not only having a prime location close to the University of Toledo, but by also continuously changing their food, being open for late hours, and having smoking available on a patio deck, Walkin and Simon are providing a service to the community where nothing like it exists nearby.
“If you’ve done your homework and know the area where you begin a business and have the market for the service, I don’t think the economy per say is going to affect the success of the business,” Skoog said. “It depends on how hard someone wants to work.”
