30-05-2024
The Marketer's Edge Interview with Autumn Pruitt, Small Business Owner at Hardy Coffee Co.
What We Discussed:In today's interview with Autumn Pruitt, we discussed a wide variety of issues:Autumn's journey from starting as a bakery to owning multiple locations of Hardy Coffee Co. and her role as the CEO handling sales and marketing.Marketing strategies including: word-of-mouth; social media; email marketing for promotions; and content creation for engaging customers.How she differentiates her business from competitors.Expansion from retail-only to B2B sales through roasting for wholesale accounts, showcasing growth in the business.Challenges in managing retail locations compared to wholesale business, importance of delegation, and strategic focus for growth.Consolidating multiple brands under Hardy Coffee Company for better brand identity, challenges faced during the rebranding process internally and externally.How Autumn goes about learning and development, from exploration of new coffee flavors, varieties, and trends through relationships with suppliers and industry events to focus on research and development for product improvement.Her experience working with agencies and how they can bring a personalized approach and clear value proposition to the business.Advice for small business owners and the importance of gaining industry experience before starting a business, as well as mentorship and building a supportive network of entrepreneurs.Discussion on balancing working in the business versus on the business, prioritizing tasks, and effective delegation of responsibilities.Her involvement in local community events, collaborations with local photographers, and using retail locations as showrooms to engage with customers directly.Autumn's continuous learning and actively seeking new marketing approaches, technologies, and consumer trends through various sources like podcasts, books, seminars, and input from team members.Advice Autumn would give to marketers looking to bring a new agency onboard.Autumn’s advice for agencies looking to win business from marketers.Thanks Autumn for a great interview!Want to watch more of The Marketer’s Edge interviews? If so, click here.