Farmgirl Flowers Founder Shares Thoughts on Funding and Small Business Success
Many small business owners think that the key to finding success and growth is to get “funded”. But as we’ve seen over and over from entrepreneurs who’ve walked out of the ‘Shark Tank’ or away from ‘The Profit’, success does not equal funding.
While it is many of the small and large companies who are secure billion dollar valuations that get the most media attention, that doesn’t mean it’s an essential for creating and growing a successful business.
I spoke with Christina Stembel, of Farmgirl Flowers, at the Capital One Spark Small Business House at SXSW 2016. Christina was a featured entrepreneur on CNBC’s “The Profit” with Marcus Lemonis and walked away from a possible deal. But as we find out, this didn’t stop her from still finding great success as a small business. Her biggest message was to let us know that success is NOT about funding.
[Tweet “.@Farmgirlflowers Founder shares why #funding isn’t the key to #Smallbusiness success.”]Check out my interview with Christina below to hear more of what she has to say about funding, social media and staying the course as a small business owner.
As Christina mentions in the interview, success is about having a thriving business that enables you to serve your customers, provide your employees (or consultants) with a life that’s important to them and make a living for yourself.
For most business owners, it’s not about how much venture funding you raise.
Christina also shared that at this time in her company’s journey, she manages all the social media marketing herself. When you’re just starting out (and even beyond) it’s important to ensure your marketing and content match the brand message and tone of your voice. Hiring it out for someone else to do, without them knowing your brand voice, is not good.
Finally, we discussed the phenom of “overnight success”. There’re very few businesses who have overnight success. Popular radio show host, Dave Ramsey, often says, his 20-year-old business was an “overnight” success (not).
You must hustle, smart hustle, and work hard to succeed. There’s no secret sauce to success – it’s just hard work.