Another Site We Love: East Coast CPR Training
Our latest Sites We Love winner is East Coast CPR Training. Carolann Hosey, owner of the family-run company, graciously took time out of her busy schedule to chat with Intuit Websites about how she runs a successful business.
Intuit Websites: What inspired you to start East Coast CPR Training?
Hosey: I started the business because my family and I have a passion for teaching CPR and first aid to the community. I was finally able to combine my love of health care with my dream of starting my own business, and I had the perfect opportunity to do so. Starting your own business is a very frightening thought: The setup costs, overhead, marketing expenses, etc., can become very pricey. But I have the support of my entire family, and there is nothing else I could ask for.
What sets your company apart from its competitors?
East Coast CPR Training is family owned and operated, so right from the start customers will get the personal attention they deserve. I wanted to start a business that focused on “lay rescuers,” or people who are not medical professionals. Almost everyone I talk to says they should — or they want to — learn CPR, but do not know where to look for a class, do not think they would be good at it, or have other barriers that prevent them from taking the first step to learning. I want everyone to know that there are very few reasons why you can’t learn CPR. We will come to your home or place of business to teach, seven days a week, and will work with your schedule to make sure you learn these precious skills. All of our instructors have health-care experience and bring real life scenarios into the classroom. Most students are scared to learn CPR, but our instructors have lost count of how many times we’ve performed it in real life. We will make sure our students are not afraid of learning.
What is your favorite part of running your own business?
My favorite part of running my own business is the hard work that goes into the entire process, from marketing materials to finding customers, to seeing the looks on their faces while they enjoy learning these life-saving skills. I enjoy coming up with new ideas to make customers happy and different ways we can engage different audiences to learn CPR and first aid. The skills our students learn can be implemented into every aspect of their lives, from being prepared for family emergencies to emergencies at work.
What lessons did you learn along the way that might help new businesses?
I’ve learned to take my time and fully research products and services before I purchase them for my business. Many companies I have encountered offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. I can spend less time hoping I am making the right choice and more time deciding if a product is right for me by trying it out first-hand. I am not afraid to call a company and ask for my money back if it is not a good fit for me or my business. I have been trying different CRM products for four months and have yet to find the right one for me. I also bought products from eBay and Craigslist to help save money for other expenses, such as marketing materials. I plan to replace these used products with new products as soon as possible, but I am able to save about 50 percent until that happens. If these products are kept in good condition, they can usually be resold again to make it easier to buy new items.
How do you use social media to promote your business and engage with customers?
I plan to use Facebook for Business to promote East Coast CPR Training and to give potential students a way to easily visit our website to register for classes and buy products. I plan on hiring someone to create custom advertising for the Facebook page to further engage customers. I also plan on offering specials and discounts through Facebook and Twitter. I plan to make a video of students learning CPR and post it on YouTube. This video will help prospective students understand how easy and fun it is to learn CPR and first aid. Our company is also on LinkedIn, which makes it easy to promote the business to professional groups who would benefit from learning CPR.
What can we look forward to seeing from your business in the near future?
I plan to sell products and services on our website once I can get the capital to do so. I also plan to offer some service programs for first-aid supplies and AEDs (automated external defibrillators). Advertising on social-networking sites and using mass-marketing techniques will help us do this.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Intuit has made it very easy for me to create and update our website. I am trying out the StoreFront feature, and this will make selling products and services easier. I looked at other website services, and none compared to what Intuit has to offer. Anytime I have an issue, I call Intuit and I am greeted by a very friendly customer-service representative that knows exactly how to solve my problem.
