In conjunction with its efforts to rekindle the city’s downtown
area, the Hollister Downtown Association will be bringing in a
professional small business consultant to help local merchants with
everything from marketing to personnel and window dressing.
Hollister – In conjunction with its efforts to rekindle the city’s downtown area, the Hollister Downtown Association will be bringing in a professional small business consultant to help local merchants with everything from marketing to personnel and window dressing.
The HDA will be holding two workshops later this month to teach local business owners how to attract and keep customers, HDA Executive Director Brenda Weatherly said.
Professional consultant Lani Lott, president of the Phoenix-based company L.L. Consulting, will speak at the workshops and will be available for individual consultations with business owners. Lott, who has 17 years of consulting experience, will focus on marketing and branding, Weatherly said.
“Having someone come in with a fresh set of eyes and with that kind of experience can help,” she said. “Especially with the little things that you don’t see everyday when you’re running a business.”
Lott said that all business owners, regardless of type and size, can learn something at the workshops.
“I’ve found that in places like Hollister, business owners often like to see how they can introduce a new product line or promotional plan,” she said. “A lot of times, small businesses don’t have a big promotional budget, but you definitely need to invest in advertising – you can’t just expect people to come to your door.”
Lott said she will help local business owners to get the most out of their advertising dollars and help them focus on their competition. While the workshops are informative, it will be up to the owners themselves to make use of what they learn, she said.
“It’s really easy to come to a workshop,” she said. “The hard part is going back and implementing the changes.”
HDA members responded
positively when the organization held similar workshops more than a dozen years ago. When Weatherly took over the HDA last May, she knew education would be one of the keys to making Hollister’s downtown area successful.
“It’s important we keep bringing people here so we can keep the downtown vital,” she said. “That’s what business education is and we hope to continue this.”
Jerry Muenzer, owner of Muenzer’s Cyclery and Sports Center downtown, attended similar workshops in years past and found them beneficial.
“It probably helped us keep going for another 10 or 15 years,” he said. “And that’s why we want to do it again. It helps us compete with the bigger retail outlets – these people travel all over the country, they can see things that we can’t.”
Lott will speak at the HDA’s quarterly breakfast on Jan. 25 at The Vault Restaurant on the corner San Benito and Fifth streets from 7:30am to 9am. The two workshops, “Advertising and Marketing Strategies for the Small Business Owner” and “Visual Merchandising, Image and Branding Your Business,” will also be held at The Vault on Jan. 25 at 6pm and Jan. 26 at 7:30am. Both workshops will cost $10 for HDA members and $20 for non-members. The workshops are open to everyone, but advanced registration and payment is required. Reservations can be made with the HDA by calling 831-636-8406.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
