Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Eric Brown, Co-Owner of Sweet Orange Education LLC, located in Louisville, CO, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Massage Mastery Online produces innovative multimedia courses and interactive digital textbooks for the massage profession.

Tell us about yourself

My first career was as a classical ballet dancer. When I decided to leave that profession, I thought I would take a course in massage therapy, so I would have some practical skills while I went to university to study medicine. But I got hooked on massage, not only for its ability to help people with stress and injuries but as a way to make touch a positive social value. That mission has driven me through a 30+ year career. Getting involved in massage education allowed me to really extend my reach and push my vision forward.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I've had a rich career teaching thousands of students, writing five Amazon bestsellers, pioneering online education in the 90s, being published in journals internationally, and hosting large virtual events with tens of thousands of participants. But what I'm most proud of is having enabled thousands of massage professionals internationally to be more successful in practice and literally touch the lives of thousands and thousands of people.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

With the rise of the Internet, there is just an incredible amount of noise. Consumers are constantly bombarded with information and advertising, and getting their attention is extremely challenging.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Innovate: You must uncover people's pain points and create unique solutions to solve their problems. If you do what everyone else is doing, you're going to get lost in the noise. For Massage Mastery Online, we are textbook publishers, but we are going all-digital, creating media-rich, interactive experiences with strong instructional design elements to help students learn faster and more effectively.
  2. Invest heavily in marketing. Marketing is really the only investment you make in your company. It's what gets you returns. Everything else is simply an expense.
  3. Get personal. People crave authenticity and connection. Even if you are communicating to 10,000 people through a video, ad, webinar, or social media post, it's an individual who is reading/watching/hearing that message. They want to feel as though you are talking specifically to them. So make them feel as though you are sitting down across the table from them, having a coffee together.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Thanks for the work you are doing, supporting small businesses.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://massagemastery.online/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/massagemasteryonline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/massagemasteryonline/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/massage_mastery
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/massage-mastery-online/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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