#membermingle

We had a great time last week meeting with the business owners of some of Cincinnati’s best local businesses at our Member Mingle. We value relationships here at TSG, and really work hard TOGETHER to build our community.  One of the best aspects of being a part of The Scout Guide is how we have built a true community of business owners and we learn from one another.

Beautiful setting @ Rug Gallery Cincinnati, Food by CWC The Restaurant, Music by Kyle English, Bartending by First Call Bartending

As the Editor and Owner of TSG Cincinnati, I hear repeatedly similar questions about how to run our businesses, how to overcome common challenges and how to make the most out of being a part of TSG. Thus, I work tirelessly to play ‘match-maker’ and ‘connector’ between my clients/members of our community. As such, I hosted a “Member Mingle” (think networking event with music, food and drinks) where I asked a few members to sit on a panel and help facilitate a great dialogue about how we all run our businesses. The Owners of The Rug Gallery, My Flower Service and Nest Home Staging all helped me with this great panel discussion that covered a variety of topics. Read below to see some of the topics we discussed and their insightful recommendations.

Sam Presnell, Arlene Presnell, Beau Presnell, Barbie Presnell, Shannon Adams, Christine Masur and McKenna Brooks

McKenna: You are transitioning ownership of The Rug Gallery from one generation to the next (Sam Presnell to his son, Beau Presnell). How are you managing this transition within the family, and what guidance do you have for those looking to transfer a business?

Sam Presnell, Founder/Owner, The Rug Gallery: “While it appears we are transitioning ownership within the family, we have started to look at it more like a sale of the business to a buyer, who happens to be family. Not until we started looking at this transition in this way, did we really understand all that is going into making this a successful transition. We have a clear step plan and it’s far more detailed and complex than we originally anticipated, but we are making great progress!”

Beau Presnell, Owner, The Rug Gallery: “We have loved working with the Goering Center at UC – and we are lucky to have this tremendous resource in our back yard, here in Cincinnati. They have guided us through a multi-step, multi-month process to ensure a smooth transition. We recommend to anyone seeking to sell a business here locally to leverage their resources.”

McKenna: You have really increased your presence of The Rug Gallery on social media and using events to drive traffic to the showroom. Tell us more about how you go about executing all of this work?

Barbie Presnell, Marketing Director, The Rug Gallery:  “I am lucky to be married to the owner(s) of The Rug Gallery, and we meet weekly to discuss all that’s going on in the business. I am a teacher (for my main job), but I love being involved in the family business. I have a passion for connecting people and have found that hosting events in the space is enjoyable to people who come, and it’s resulting in sales from those who come meet us and see the high-quality of support we offer our clients. “Regarding social media, when we meet weekly, I listen to what strategic focus areas there are for Sam and Beau. I then work back with the sales people and installers to help me get images and stories from rugs, carpets and flooring that have been installed in customer’s homes. I then tell the stories of these happy clients in Instagram posts and stories. That’s what our followers want to see – they want to be inspired by our work and be able to show examples of homes when they come in, and know we can give them the flooring to bring their vision to life. The key to successful social media for a small business (in my opinion) is to be authentic and tell stories and inspire the follower. They’ll take action with you if you do this right!”

Shannon Adams, Jessica of My Flower Service

McKenna: Shannon, you have been a part of TSG Cincinnati now for almost 5 years (as long as it’s been in Cincinnati). What advice do you have for small business owners who are either in TSG today, or contemplating joining this community?

Shannon Adams, Owner, My Flower Service: “TSG is the only spending on advertising I do. I believe that the quality and network of businesses in TSG are the ‘best of the best’ and I want my brand to be associated with these other brands and business owners. I hear all the time that readers know a few other companies in the Guide, and thus assume that ‘if My Flower Service is in here with a few of my other favorite businesses, they must be the best in the business’. So for me, it’s a lot of brand positioning. But, I also really value the connections I’ve made with other business owners in the Guide. For example, I have just met with a couple other owners to do their flowers out front of their stores because I’ve met them at these sorts of events. We all should support one another first and foremost, and continue to grow our community by having a very high-quality product and service across categories!”

McKenna: Christine, you’re partnering with other businesses in TSG in unique ways. Can you tell us about what you’re doing to help ‘get your brand out there’ and what advice you’d give to us if we want to do the same?

Christine Masur, Co-owner Nest Home Staging: “I have really embraced this community of great people, and leveraged the networking opportunities that being a part of TSG Cincinnati has enabled me. I always want to share my passion for design and staging with those around me, and however I can do that, I’m open and eager to get involved! For example, I have worked with Megan Stacey for 2 years now to co-host a “Color and design” party where we invite clients (of both of ours) to enjoy some wine, food and I talk about design trends I’m seeing in homes today. It’s nothing hard to pull together, but it’s so fun to see a group of 25 women talking (and laughing) about little changes they can make to their homes to ‘freshen things up’ without breaking the bank. I also worked with you, McKenna, to design the backdrop for a TSG event, Holly & Headshots, in December. I love designing ‘photo walls’ and this was an easy way for me to help in an event, and organically get the Nest brand out there.

“The best advice I can give about getting involved in your network is to be creative in how you partner with people, don’t be afraid to try something new and know that every person is a valuable impression, and they will grow your business over time.”

After we went through these specific topics, there was a lot of great dialogue around how to build up social media following, how to best partner (and ideas!) and how we all can really team up with one another on a regular basis to build up the local business community in Cincinnati. If you’re interested in learning more about WHO is a part of TSG, you can see them here (scroll down to see them listed alphabetically).

Delicious food was provided by CWC The Restaurant, Tables and decor by All Occasions Event Rental, Music by Kyle English.

A few common threads amongst all of us business owners in TSG, are that we believe in following our dreams, we work tirelessly to meet the needs of our customers and we are incredibly appreciative of the support we receive from you as our community. We want to hear from you on how we can all improve and appreciate your support of all-things-local!

Until the next event!