Like many women, Sunny Kobe Cook had a dream to own her own business. She knew she wanted to be in retail, and loved the idea of a furniture store. However, starting a furniture store proved to be too capital-intensive, so Sunny did what any good businessperson would do – research.
Sunny was able to figure out what made the most money in furniture stores – mattresses – and adapted her business plan to reflect this new profitability. Sleep Country USA was awakened, becoming the Northwest’s largest mattress store now celebrating its 20th year in business.
In 2000, Sunny sold the chain and focused her efforts on sharing her experience and insight as a high-profile speaker and author. This month, she’s celebrating the release of her new book “Common Things Uncommon Ways,” which focuses on how to tap into your employees in order to grow your business.
We spoke with Sunny for this month’s 1:1 with Career Woman Inc., and she offered insightful advice on running a successful business, from the value of networking, to the importance of the customer’s experience and keeping employees motivated. Sunny posits, “Motivating people who represent you with your customers is critical.” And we couldn’t agree more.
When managing a large group of people, or even a small one, it’s not always possible to interface with your customers, so ensuring your employees are on-board as ambassadors of your business is of the utmost importance. One could spend all the time in the world on making the best product or service, but if it’s not presented to the public in a knowledgeable, friendly manner, what’s the point?
For more on how Sunny went from secretary to entrepreneur, read her entire 1:1 feature interview on Career Woman Inc. And, be sure to check out my recent article on Forbes, “The Best Ways to Motivate People (and it isn’t with money)“.
Source:
http://www.careerwomaninc.com
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