“I think that’s really what has helped the ones that are surviving, survive. You have to be able to adapt because things are going to change,” Crum said.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, uncertainty continues in the business community with various factors such as fluctuating prices of goods.
“The biggest thing about planning a business year to year is budgeting and figuring out what you’re going to do next year,” Crum said. “When you can’t do that, it’s hard to keep it going.”
Asking for help when needed
Jennifer Coyle, the owner of Say Yes Cakes at 1003 Shroyer Road in Dayton, was put in contact with the SBDC in Year 2 of her business when “the smelly, hot breath of the end (was) breathing down my neck every day.”
“Whatever we sold, we would keep just enough money for the drawer and spend the rest, on ingredients to bake for the next day,” Coyle said. “We baked based on what we sold the day before.”
Crum was paired with Coyle to help her save the bakery.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“We want more businesses that are in business to reach out because there are so many out there that are struggling right now, and we see a lot of them reach out too late,” Crum said.
She understands that it’s hard to ask for help when you’re busy and buried in work, but that’s the best time to do it.
“My biggest thing is always ask for help,” Crum said. “It’s a strength. It’s not a weakness.”
Making adjustments
The first thing Coyle needed to do to help her business was adjust prices.
Coyle said her prices were too low because she based her pricing solely on a percentage above the cost of her ingredients. She didn’t take into account the cost of her time.
“I don’t limit myself by the decorating tools that are available to me,” Coyle said. “I had to learn my value.”
In recent months, Coyle has grappled with the price of eggs.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“You have to keep track of your finances because especially for food businesses, the margins are really small,” Crum said. “One change in cost can put you under.”
Instead of increasing prices, Coyle switched to liquid eggs because those prices remained unaffected. She ended up liking liquid eggs because they provided consistency, saved time and left a smaller footprint.
Another price increase Coyle is watching involves chocolate. She’s expecting to raise her prices soon, which is something she hasn’t done since moving to her current location.
Location can be key
In May 2023, Coyle closed her bakery on Wayne Avenue due to lack of parking. She reopened six months later at her current location.
“We’ve been in Dayton almost five years,” Coyle said. “We are so grateful to Dayton for loving us like we love Dayton, but at first in this spot it was just me and there was nothing much happening. It took awhile for people to find us.”
She has gone door-to-door introducing her bakery to the nearby neighborhoods and taking samples to local businesses.
“Somebody can make a better cupcake and somebody can make a better cookie, but they’re not going to be me and my daughter and what we’re offering,” Coyle said.
In fewer than than two years, Coyle has went from her other job as a respiratory therapist supporting the bakery to the bakery supporting itself and paying an employee.
“My joy is here,” Coyle said. “I want people to leave out of here feeling a little fuller of joy and part of the way I give that to them is with my treats.”
Creating a friendly space
Another business that has been challenged with it’s location is Blue Sky Coffee, a coffee shop and creative space across from Wright State University in the Emergence Center at 3070 Presidential Drive.
Matthew Stevenson, who owns the coffee shop with his wife, Elisa, said it has been a challenge to get people to recognize where they are located because it’s not what people typically think of when they think coffee shop.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Something that has helped them is visiting Wright State University and the nearby hotels to get their name out there. In addition, they have partnered with local businesses and opened up their space for events.
“We want to serve good coffee and treats, but our main focus is really fostering a good community,” Stevenson said. “Being that friendly space where people can come, hangout and feel welcomed.”
Blue Sky Coffee prides itself with hosting events that bring people together like poetry or music night, as well as creative workshops that are similar to “paint and sips.”
“The businesses that do the best really thrive on the people that come and patronize the businesses,” Stevenson said.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
With the challenge of the location, Stevenson feels like they’ve done a good job asking people for reviews and creating a social media presence.
“It’s been tough across the board for businesses in this industry, but we’ve seen the past couple of months a good amount of growth and we’re happy with where we’re at,” Stevenson said.
Tapping into nearby communities
Joui Wine, located at 117 E. Third St. in Dayton’s Fire Blocks District, is up in sales by 15% year to date.
“I’m very lucky,” said Owner Lauren Gay. “I know that there are a lot of businesses that have started after me and have gone out of business and some that have been open for a decade or more and have recently gone under. The atmosphere is a little bit scary.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
She described downtown as “a little volatile.”
“It is a little bit risky opening a business in a downtown community like Dayton that still is growing, but not necessarily there quite yet,” Gay said.
Challenges she is seeing right now include an inconsistency in business, which is making it hard to predict ordering and staffing, and the continued “fear of downtown” from people that don’t live downtown.
“I feel a lot of support from the downtown community — the people that live and work downtown," Gay said. “In order to sustain a business like this, I also need to tap into other communities.”
“Dayton struggles,” Crum said. “Right now, I think there’s not enough businesses downtown.”
Gay has collaborated with other businesses and entrepreneurs to host events like chef dinners in her space. This offers an opportunity for cross promotion on social media.
She also gets involved in local events by handing out free samples and/or coupons, instead of just donating a gift card. This helps with brand awareness.
Credit: Submitted Photo
Credit: Submitted Photo
“I think we need to realize that local is the most important thing,” Crum said. “If you want to see these businesses around, we have to keep supporting them.”
Creating a good team
Gay credits her small, but mighty team for contributing to the success of her business.
“What we sell is not drinks,” Gay said. “We sell an experience. We sell a fantasy. We sell escapism. We sell a place for people to come and relax and forget about their daily stresses.”
“Keeping a good team is one of the most important things of keeping a business going,” Crum said.
She encourages business owners to make sure they’re paying their employees well, giving them benefits and making them feel a part of the business to ensure great customer service.
Businesses that retain employees can make sure their products are consistent and don’t have to worry about the cost of retraining and rehiring, Crum said.
“If I take care of my team, my team takes care of our guests and that’s what keeps people coming back,” Gay said.
Blue Sky Coffee and Say Yes Cakes mentioned finding good employees with the same passion for their business as themselves has been difficult.
Coyle said she hopes to add to her team to expand her bakery offerings. She was able to hire her daughter, Alyson, last year to allow herself extra time to focus on marketing and visibility.
Being a business owner is hard work
Owning a business in the food and beverage industry can be “a very dreamy space.” It’s not a hobby. It’s hard work.
Gay said her business occupies 99.9% of her thoughts and is a seven day a week, 24-hour job.
Even though she helped open Sueño and Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton and was a general manager there, she didn’t realize how “next level” it would be to own a business.
“If I didn’t open Sueño and Tender, I would have never done this. That gave me the confidence and the life lesson,” Gay said. “You need that real world experience of actually doing it.”
At the end of the day, being a business owner is rewarding and Gay wouldn’t change it for the world.
“Tomorrow’s never promised,” Gay said. “It’s hard and I’m humbled enough to know that my success today doesn’t mean success is guaranteed tomorrow.”
Competition is fierce
Crum said it’s important to never stop learning — especially from employees. She encourages business owners to not be close minded.
“A lot of older restaurants, a lot of older businesses get stagnant and they feel secure and then they get a lot of competition that comes in and then they wonder why? Why am I struggling now? Because you didn’t stay aware, you didn’t keep up with things,” Crum said. “Things change and you have to change with them.”
Peoples’ attention spans are small and as a business owner, you have to remind them that you still exist, Crum said. One way to do this is by posting on social media.
“They may not think about it. They know you’re there, but you have to remind them if you’re doing something special,” Crum said.
To be a true entrepreneur, you have to be tough
She described the Dayton entrepreneur community as “tough.”
“I think they’re tough. I think they have to be, especially right now. They don’t give up,” Crum said. “If you’re going to be a true entrepreneur, you have to have that.”
Something she loves about the restaurant community is that they work together.
“Some cities are very competitive,” Crum said. “I think it works better if you can lean on people in your industry because they’re going through similar things that you’re going through.”
She encourages those that are struggling to reach out to the SBDC.
“I’m not going to say, ”okay, now it’s time to close,”” Crum said. “I’m going to look at everything. We’re going to look at the financials. We’re going to see, okay, where are you paying? Where can we cut? Let’s see how we can make this work. Is there something we can add? Is there a way we can reach more people? Is there a line of products that we can bring on that the customers are really looking at?”
Other ideas she sees working for local restaurant owners is hosting events, which can introduce new people to the business and give them a reason to come back.
She also encourages owners to get on event lists as caterers.
“I think my biggest thing is don’t make it harder,” Crum said. “Try to create things that you can use the same things you’re already doing.”
“You have to really rethink how you can use what you have to fullest extent,” Crum said.
Focusing on the ‘why’
Stevenson’s advice to other business owners is to not “lose focus of why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s easy to get loss in the chaos of the world around us and the stress of having to put a business together.”
Stevenson’s reason for opening the coffee shop was “to connect with people and to connect people.”
“As a business owner there are really exciting days and really cool things happening that we get to do and there’s also really tough days with difficult hurdles we need to hop over, so just having a passion for what we do keeps the engine going,” Stevenson said.
“Check on your friends that are entrepreneurs because it’s a lot of time,” Gay said. “We all work extremely hard, very long hours. Even if we’re not in our place of business, that doesn’t mean we’re not working. Check on them, support them and show them some love.”
MORE DETAILS
The Miami Valley Small Business Development Center is located inside the Entrepreneurs’ Center at 31 S. Main St. in Dayton.
The center offers one-on-one, confidential business advising to help entrepreneurs start, grow and sustain their businesses. From goal setting, business planning and financial projections to cash flow, profitability and market strategy development, the center caters to many areas of advising at no cost.
Last year, Crum worked with 120 clients and the center as a whole had more than 1,000.
“It’s hard to open a business, but it’s very rewarding if you can do it and if I can give that to someone else, if I can teach them to not make the same mistakes I made, that’s a win,” Crum said.
For more information, visit sbdcec.com or the center’s Facebook (@MiamiValleySBDC) or Instagram (@miami_valley_sbdc) pages.
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