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There are two things that will help your success as an entrepreneur; a strong authentic brand and a thriving community that supports the mission of your company.

This week on The Small Business Radio Show, Ramon Ray discusses the secret to your company’s success is to seek the support of fans in your specific niche. He thinks that entrepreneurs need to resist the urge to broaden their message where they attempt to solve many different problems for a diverse range of people. The tendency especially at the start comes from their need to be busy, but they are making the mistake of first not building a solid core community.

Ramon says he decided to focus on a niche because he got “tired of wasting time and money.” Instead, he wanted to serve the people where his brand connects with the most. Ramon remarks that “you can make a difference in the people that show up!”

Community Will Grow Your Small Business

Your approach to selling should also be geared toward building a community. Ramon explains that “it is easier to ask for a smile than a sale.” In other words, it’s a lot easier to build a community at first then to ask immediately for them to buy something. He calls this method — “smile before sales”; make a connection and build a relationship first before a asking for the sale. Remember, don’t expect that the entire community will be customers, but a subset always will.

This is important because people no longer want to “buy your stuff”. They want to have a relationship with your company and its community. If you build relationships and trust, somewhere along the line some of those people will buy something.

Ramon believes personality must come out in your brand. This helps with the authenticity and connection with future customers. Sharing makes your company more human and real. He says if you are uncomfortable with this, “get over it and share!” But as Ramon reminds us “you don’t have to share everything!”.

Your company has to focus on this. Ramon prescribes to the practice of “FREA”:

• Frequency: it takes time for people to see your message.
• Relevancy : ensure whatever you share is relatable to your community.
• Engagement: Find out if the community cares through interaction.
• Analytics: Find out what worked and make changes in your message.

Listen to the entire interview on the Small Business Radio Show.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Secrets No One Ever Told You about Growing Your Business Through Support from Your Niche” was first published on Small Business Trends