This season, make shoppers come to you
Experts reveal how to use this time of year to make your own money
In the run-up to this year’s Black Friday, Toronto couple Samira Razmy and Cory Laing will spend most of their weekends and evenings focused on their Toronto-based startup Well Calm. This will be their first holiday season in business and they plan to make sure everything goes right.
The company, started in 2016, provides on-site massage and chiropractic services to customers throughout the GTA and Niagara region. However, what makes it truly stand out is the business’s founding story. The successful venture started out not as an intentional business, but as a side hustle meant to make extra cash that later turned into a full-time company.
“I was working in a clinic (as a licensed chiropractor) before and saw that some of my clients wanted services outside of normal hours. I thought it was a good idea . . . so I would meet people before and after work and it turned into Well Calm,” Razmy explains. “I followed my passion and it led here, which is a good lesson for people looking to make their own extra cash during the season — you never know where it might end up.”
Later in the year, the couple decided to focus on Well Calm full time. It ended up being a smart move: The duo has grown the two-person side job into a company with a head office in the city’s downtown core that now employs 150 people.
As the holiday season approaches, many, like Laing and Razmy, are hoping to focus on making money instead of spending it this year. And, while boosting business is possible, it takes time and hard work to do it right.
Erin Bury, head of Toronto-based communications agency Eighty-Eight, knows all about the art of side hustling and myriad of ways it can go wrong. Her advice for part-time entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially during the holiday season when the competition for consumer dollars is at an all-time high, is to focus on what makes you different.
She knows what she’s talking about. Bury has worked with not only highprofile clients, such as Sony Pictures Television, Yellow Pages and Canada’s National Ballet School, but also founded her own side hustle called The County Wine Tours. The business provides guided tours throughout the scenic wine region in Prince Edward County.
Turning your passion into a money-making endeavour or finding ways to obtain new clients isn’t easy, she’s explains. Regardless of whether it’s a dog-walking business you want to take to the next level or just a room you want to rent out, it requires treating what you do like business, not just a hobby.
Thankfully the holiday season is the perfect time to boost business when it’s done right. “If you’re selling a product, Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a good time to do that,” Bury says. “Put some type of sales and promotion and maybe a little budget into Instagram ads and Google ads to promote the product.”
Another piece of advice? Make sure to target the right market, since you could easily end up competing against other more established businesses that can easily outspend you.
“Always think about who is going to be buying that product,” Bury adds. “If you’re selling a product to moms with young kids, they’re probably on Facebook mom groups, reading magazines like Chatelaine or blogs like Yummy Mummy Club. You have to go where those people are already spending time online in order to promote in a cost-effective way.”
Sandra Hanna, co-founder of money blog Smart Cookies, agrees.
The budgeting guru, probably known best for doling out financial and lifestyle tips on CNN or being featured in the New York Times, says success often boils down to making a personal connection. Want to double your customer list on Black Friday or bring in new ones? Find ways to ensure your natural customer base knows who you are and can identify with your product.
“A personal connection is always best. If you can connect with your local community on social media you’re gonna cut through that clutter,” Hanna says.
She suggests businesses make a list of 20 people they can reach out to before a big shopping day and ask them if they’re interested in what they’re selling or ask to share with their network.
“Spend a half-hour out of your day networking and working on that personal connection; it could help you stand out over the holiday madness,” Hanna adds.
For Razmy, one of the best things her company did in its early days that resulted in sales was going above and beyond what other big-name brands offered, as well as just staying in contact with customers. For example, Well Calm is open from 8 a.m. to 11p.m. throughout the week, a unique feature that helps it stand out.
“We’re constantly speaking with clients and asking them for their feedback, asking if there are any other services they would like us to offer them so we stand out,” Laing explains. “Making sure you’re ahead of the curve and giving something extra is small, but it can make a difference.”