Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chad Wheeler, Owner of The Heroes Tower, located in Lancaster, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Mystery boxes with characters and themes ranging from Superheroes to Science Fiction to Pokemon. Anyone who loves geeky items and wants to share their geekiness with others.
Tell us about yourself
I first started with handcrafted bi-fold wallets. I would take comic books, make wallets, and sell them on eBay and Etsy. After a while, I got more handcrafted ideas, and my wife suggested that I make mystery boxes and sell them. My handcrafted items are one-of-a-kind things, and no one else out there makes what I make.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being able to connect with my customers about their love for handcrafted items, talk about geeky characters and see my customers' reactions with love and enthusiasm, and seeing my works on YouTube. It's a joy to see my customers so happy with the mystery boxes.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Trying to listen to unsatisfied customers and trying to find out what went wrong. Sometimes it's a simple misunderstanding, but it can be hard when the expectation is so high that I cannot match what is expected from my product.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Connect with your customers. A happy customer brings more business and stays a customer.
- Be honest. If you mess up, you mess up. People are 99.9% more responsive and forgiving when you are apologetic and want to make things right.
- Get out of your comfort zone. You might not really care about 1 or 2 specific things you want to sell. As long as it doesn't violate an ethic or moral code you hold dear, then try to sell that product. You never know...
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://bit.ly/3g42Yo6
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_heroes_tower/
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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