The Boost You Need

She says they opened the retail outlet to fill a need. "I’ve been looking at what is available in town, and they never had what I was looking for," she explains.

"We’re trying to bring in things that might not have the best profit margin but that you might not see across town," Ross says.

They continue providing interior design-related and home-repair services. "What is different about us is we offer all the home services you need," he says. "If we can’t do it, we have somebody who can," through their network of subcontractors.

The couple counted a client base of about 150 before launching the retail outlet, and Cristina estimates 100 new and repeat store customers per month.

To boost exposure, they spend $2,700 to $3,000 a month on advertising. They’ve advertised through Comcast television, The News-Press and Coralwood Cinemas in Cape Coral, all of which have generated response. They also distribute a brochure and advertise on a trailer parked outside the showroom.

MARKETING ADVICE: PRIORITY MARKETING
Simply Posh is moving in the right direction, according to Teri Hansen, president and creative director of Priority Marketing in Fort Myers.

"They’ve got a real diverse offering, the retail as well as the service side," she says.

With a 2008 sales objective of $750,000, "They’ve got pretty ambitious revenue goals. They only have four months of operation and revenue to base their projections on," Hansen says.

The Cohls have made a sound decision by earmarking 4.5 percent to 5 percent of projected revenue on marketing and advertising, which she calls "relatively conservative but very commendable for a new business."

Hansen recommends the Cohls continue television and newspaper advertising and try to build publicity. For example, they should try to attract media coverage of classes, lectures or events they offer.

"Publicity is one of the most cost-effective means of generating exposure," she notes, "and it should be a major part of the marketing program. This will leverage the advertising dollars they are spending while creating a more well-rounded, integrated program."

Hansen also suggests the Cohls start tracking customers who visit the store to shop and to participate in those classes, lectures and events, which she calls "great, low-cost lead generators. [They] should be promoted as much as possible in their print and TV advertising."

Then the Cohls should work those leads. "They don’t seem to have a good database of customers who have already come into the store," Hansen says. "Dollars are spent to bring in traffic/leads, so if they are not utilized as an asset, then the dollars have been wasted."

Other possible tactics to boost business include a referral program, such as awarding a gift certificate for every three referrals who use their services, approaching nearby Ada’s Natural and Organic Foods Supermarket for cross-promotional opportunities, and direct mailing to interior designers.

The Business: Martial Arts Studio
Kevin Potter had wanted to start his own martial arts business for years.

After the karate studio in Naples where he and his family had trained closed, the longtime Estero resident didn’t find another suitable location to train. So he opened his family-owned Estero Martial Arts and Fitness on the corner of Corkscrew Road and Three Oaks Parkway.

"We saw that there was a need in the Estero area," says Kevin, a paramedic for Collier County Emergency Medical Services. "We could share what we felt was the right way to teach martial arts."

Kevin, his wife, Linda, and his teenage son Kyle, all of whom have trained for 12 years, teach most of the classes. Kevin and Linda, both second-degree black belts, are certified martial arts instructors through the American Council on Martial Arts, and Kevin was promoted to sensei in 2002. Kyle is a third-degree black belt and member of the North American Sport Karate Association.

As his first venture nears its one-year anniversary in June, Kevin hopes it has enough kick to survive in an uncertain economy. He needs 110 students by the end of the first year to break even.
Through the first eight months, 51 children—most of them five to 12 years old—and 19 adults trained at the facility. The business offers training in martial arts, self-defense and cardiovascular conditioning.

The martial arts program, which stresses Kyokushin karate and grappling, occupies the bulk of the Monday-through-Saturday schedule. Two instructors are on the mat during classes, which have a cap of 25 students, he says.

The Potters give exhibitions at Estero-area locations and are raising their visibility in the community, participating in events such as Relay for Life. Kevin says he works with Kids in Competition Karate as a tournament host, including one this month he believes will attract 100 participants from throughout Florida. He also works with the Estero Gulf Coast Kiwanis Club, whose Web page features a link to the business, which is also listed in the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce online business directory.

MARKETING ADVICE: FIRESTONE AND CIMRING
As a new small business, Estero Martial Arts and Fitness has started well, says Diann Cimring, partner and president of Firestone & Cimring Advertising in Fort Myers.

"They seem to have a good handle on what they are trying to accomplish," Cimring says, adding that the business seems to have a decent number of students.

She recommends localized marketing, anchored by newspaper advertising in The News-Press weekly entertainment section and editions that target Estero and Bonita Springs, as well as a monthly ad in a community newspaper. Advertising in the two print publications will be within the $1,000 per month Kevin has been allotting for promotion, which Cimring says seems sufficient.

She also proposes the Potters obtain a list of people living within the immediate zip codes and send direct mails to households earning at least $75,000 and with children. At $1,300 to $1,500 annual membership fees, she says, "People have to have a fairly decent income to afford it."

She encourages the Potters to hold an open house, to produce brochures themselves and to post fliers at area schools.

"This is the type of business that ultimately, if they are good, will become a referral business," she says. "They need to definitely promote their experience and training."