Maximize your Small Business Competitive Advantage (by Tami Cromar of Ruby Snap, edited by Angela Johnson)
Angela Johnson with Tami Cromar at the April Biz Divas
Tami was the guest speaker at the April Biz Divas. And she had more than just good cookies. Tami showed us how being creative, innovative, tenacious and driven is more than just following your passion, it’s about creating a nationally recognized brand. And all with a $10,000 amount of start-up capital!
From Tami:
Two years ago if you asked me how or what was my plan to be competitive small business in this market, a recession, I might have answered with an eager smile: “I have no idea, I’m just following my passion,” which sounds rather reckless, but therein lies
the answer.
Assuming that your product is right for the market meaning, others also like your business model, idea, product & image that you are selling – the following are the ideas I believe have worked for RubySnap.
- Focus on what you are good at! Tiger Woods he was bad in the sand traps but good on the fairways. You think he would have focused on learning how to get out of the sand traps, instead, he stuck with what he was good at and rose from 61st place to becoming renowned golfer and household name.
- What is it that you are selling? In our business we sell JOY! Our commodity is cookie and we know that the cookies will sell themselves once you have tasted them.
- Dare to be different!!!! BillieAnn, Vivianna, Margo (names of the cookies!)
- Are you confident?? I am, I am so confident you can taste any cookie you wish before you ever make a purchase, because I know you will love it.
- Get your name out without spending money: free cookie cards, silent auctions and more.
- Get people to talk about you: blogs, articles and social media! Appreciate those that talk about you!
- Appreciate those that have a problem with you: Anyone who gives you constructive criticism, treat them like gold, they are your best friend. They are telling you what you must know.
- Successfully use Social Media: Facebook, Twitter daily & personal.
- Treat EVERYONE exactly the same.
These are companies who are part of the Ruby Snap community (Building relationships builds business!)
- Ballet West
- Utah Symphony
- Sundance Film Festival
- Granite School District
- Utah’s Owns
- Buy Local First
- Participating in local events: Farmer’s Market
- Donations
- Donate to Youth Services
Participation Yields Confidence:
- Frida Bistro a signature dough
- Capitol Theatre create a custom cookie Elle for Legally Blond
- Are you Credible? Does your business look and feel established? Do you keep your commitments.
- Are you sufficiently different? There are millions of cookies to choose from BUT can you get a Mango & dark chocolate in a citrus dough anywhere? No.
- Can your knowledge be transferred? To an employee. Do you have an outlined planned that allows the lowest common denominator to operate day to day operations in your absence.
- Can your business concept be adapted from location to another?
- Is your system affordable? Are will you just work for sweat?
- Are there market trends that will affect your business? i.e. recession, perhaps mortgages aren’t the way right now. But, as for me, can people to afford a cookie? Yes!
Ruby Snap has been featured in:
- Salt Lake Magazine’s Best of the Beehive
- In This Week Magazine Scene in Salt Lake
- Salt Lake Tribune’s Now Utah
- KUTV Channel 2 with Sterling Paulsen
- ABC 4 Good Things Utah
- KSL TV Channel 5 with Candace Madsen
- Fred Ball Speaking on Business (KSL)
- Bravo TV Million Dollar Listing 2010 Season
- Wasatch Women’s Magazine (twice)
- City Weekly (twice)
- Utah Business Magazine
- Utah Style & Design
- Bravo TV
Short Bio:
• Tami was born in Arizona but spent much of her life living in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia and traveling Europe.
• Educated at Brigham Young University where she studied Architectural Design and practiced her degree for 15 years.
• Married 23 years, mother of three.
• Tami has always had a passion for good food, her motto: “If it isn’t wonderful it doesn’t belong in your mouth.”
