5 Lessons from the Small Businesses on the Frontlines

April's Local Stories Live event featured a dynamic panel of accomplished vendors who turned their passion, creativity, and hustle into thriving business ventures, thanks in part to working local markets.

Here are five things participants learned from the speakers:

If enough people tell you they want K-Cups, eventually, you have to start selling K-Cups

Panelist Garrett Buckles founded Brown Bag Coffee Co. with only a few select restaurants as customers in 2019. When the pandemic forced many of them to close, he shifted to selling at markets and found new buyers. Moving plenty of bagged coffee, he came up with every reason in the world not to offer his coffee in K-Cup form, but eventually he heard from enough potential customers and now he sells "a ton of K-Cups."

It's important for your business to have a story ... even if that story is "a story"

You buy a glass of lemonade at a market from a vendor that tells you a story about his grandma's secret recipe. The story makes the lemonade taste even more delicious. How much do you care how accurate the story was? It's part of the experience. People buy things at the market instead of Amazon because it comes with a story and an experience. Turn your "why" into a great story you can tell as people consider buying from your business.

Setup is important, but the vendor's energy is critical to bring in customers

Dr. Danielle Clark owns Under the Oaks Events and hosts many markets, so she has seen what works and what does not. She said a vendor who is put together, smiling, and ready to tell their company's story is always going to sell more than the vendor with their nose in their phone. It's about more than an attractive booth; you have to have an energy that attracts customers.

Most entrepreneurs want to give up (sometimes once a week)

Running a small business includes many peaks and valleys, and working the markets is no different. There are markets where you make $300 and markets where you make $30,000. The key is to focus on why you do what you do and learn from each experience.

Use the market as your test lab for product ideas

Meghan Hogan-Tauber started Hogan Made almost exactly 10 years ago at the Ybor Saturday Market. She started with clever t-shirts using the market to make mistakes and get direction from potential customers without the pressure of a brick-and-mortar lease or the vast expanse of an online store. It gave her the ability to interact with customers and learn what they did and didn't like about her products. "What do you mean you want black shirts instead of pink?" she remembers thinking when potential customers gave her feedback at her first market.

About Local Stories Live

Local Stories Live is a bi-monthly panel discussion event highlighting Hillsborough County entrepreneurs. Visit the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center's online calendar to RSVP and subscribe to the newsletter for updates on future events, workshops, and small business resources.

This event will be hosted in person at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center, 2101 E. Palm Ave., Tampa, FL 33605. The panel discussions will also be available live on Hillsborough County's Facebook Page: @HillsboroughFL.