Building Small Business Success: Connecting with Customers
Connecting with customers is key to business success. Review best practices from Morayo, the owner of the Houston-based brand ChiChi Mix.
Morayo Adebiyi-Uchendu developed her small business in the Houston, Texas area after she started exploring healthy foods for her sons amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of six months, she perfected a vegan, gluten-free recipe for ChiChi Mix, a variation of a Nigerian snack eaten at weddings and anniversaries. The treat was a hit with friends and family, and eventually, Morayo launched her entrepreneurial journey by debuting her creation at farmers’ markets.
She tailored her recipes to her customer’s needs, creating Keto mixes that she started selling at a coffee shop in the Houston, Texas area. To grow her business, Morayo worked with SCORE Houston, a program that offers mentorship and workshops, to get connected with resources and a commercial kitchen. She also participated in the 2021 Fed Ex E-Commerce Learning Lab through Accion Opportunity Fund (AOF) to boost her skills in selling products through her website.
As a third-generation entrepreneur, she’s thrilled to follow in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps. She’s planning to expand her operations and find manufacturing partners.
She loves connecting with customers’ nutritional needs and health goals.
Morayo is an expert in connecting with customers. Learn more about her tips for building a successful business:
- Know your customer: Research the market and learn about your customer’s interests. Being an entrepreneur is about being in tune with your audience.
- Build lasting relationships: Make eye contact with customers and utilize face-to-face interaction to make an impact.
- Harness the power of social media: Encourage your clients to leave testimonials on your social media pages to build trust and brand awareness.
- Take advantage of resources: Look into opportunities to build your knowledge and your business, such as the Fed Ex E-Commerce Learning Lab or AOF’s one-on-one coaching. Research resources in your state, county, and city.
- Find your flow: Be realistic about scaling your business. Learn the ins and outs of increasing output by developing processes and investing in the right equipment and packaging.
- Never give up: Dream big, even if it takes time to build your business. Take the opportunity to learn about yourself in the process.