As a woman-owned company, Yeager Design & Interiors owner, Elizabeth Yeager-Cross, has learned a lot from opening her business in West Virginia.
YDI is a local residential and commercial design firm with a showroom located in Scott Depot, West Virginia.
Yeager was a guest on the Positively West Virginia Podcast, where she discussed with Jim Matuga, the host, the positives and negatives of building a business.
Realize that you can not please everyone.
“In the first year of business, I had clients who I figured out that, I could just not please,” Yeager said.
Knowing that you may not be able to please everyone is okay, and it is okay to tell them.
“Looking back at it, I feel like I’ve come to a place where I can trust my gut. If I have an odd feeling or feel like this may not be the right fit, I just tell people that I don’t think we are the right fit for what they’re looking for.”
By doing this, the person should respect you for being honest and may even ask your advice on what they should be looking for.
“If you don’t think your business is the answer to someone’s necessity, you can just politely tell someone that,” Yeager advised.
Plan for growth.
As a business owner, you want to have a plan for growth. Whether this growth is updating or redesigning your website, building an online presence or even integrating an online shopping section to your website, if you sell a product.
Growing your business could also mean hiring more employees. When doing this, always invest in talent. Don’t hire the first person off of the street. Take your time to interview multiple candidates and to do extra research.
If you want a business in West Virginia, as a young entrepreneur, a woman, or even an established business owner, don’t get scared and leave.
“I realize that it is not the booming metropolis that it could be, but the more people who leave West Virginia, the more it hurts West Virginia,” Yeager said.
“Get involved on a local level with your chamber of commerce,” Yeager advised.
Depending on the industry you are trying to get started in, think about all of your options.
For Yeager, an interior designer, she got her start with kitchen and bathroom companies who were eager to have a knowledgeable interior designer on their team.
“As a business owner, don’t be afraid to take that next leap,” Yeager encouraged. If you are a business owner who has an everyday job, it is fine to be scared to dive into something bigger; however, it is necessary to grow.
One resource that a business owner can look into is the Small Business Association.
“If you are on the cusp of making your dream or business a reality, you have to give it 100 percent,” Yeager said.
Yeager was a guest on the Positively West Virginia Podcast. Listen to her full interview here.
<
Woman-Owned West Virginia Business Tips:
- Realize that you can not please everyone.
- Plan for growth.
- Depending on the industry you are trying to get started in, think about all of your options.