Twitter is a great way to connect with people and Follow Friday is one of the ways that people on twitter connect with others and share the names of great people to follow. Every Friday, know as Follow Friday you see the FF’s come through your twitter feed, but have you ever asked yourself who are these people? What do they have to say about themselves in more than 120 characters if given the opportunity? And how does what they do help me? How can I get to know them better?
Heading over to the twitter bio is a great start. Some people have websites and blogs with information about business.
But I wanted to know more. I wanted to reach the real person and find out their Who, What, Why, How and When information. Something that could make me take a second look and find out how their business and my business could connect and collaborate on changing the world. Even if that change only meant a change in how I saw a small part of the world. You never know what could happen.
Today’s spotlight focus is on Summer Alexander Research. To find out more, read below and head over to the website, follow her on twitter and other social media and make a connection.
Business Name: Summer Alexander Research
Owner Name: Summer Alexander
Website: www.SummerAlexanderResearch.com
Facebook url: www.facebook.com/SummerAlexanderResearch
Twitter url: https://twitter.com/#!/SummersResearch
Other Social Media: http://www.linkedin.com/in/salexanderresearch
http://www.youtube.com/user/SummersResearch/videos
Summer Alexander
Number of years in business: 1
What industry do you work in and what sets your company apart from the competition?
I work in the wonderful world of market research. Market research is a necessary but often complicated step in business planning. I take all of the complication out of the process by making the information simple to understand and implement.
How did you get started in the industry?
Unemployment! After working for a major telecommunications company for 7 years I found myself out of a job. After sulking for a few months I made the decision to return to school for marketing and soon after went to work as a market research manager for a small business owner until deciding to branch out on my own last year.
What product do you think every business should have and why?
An information product- an eBook, special report, video series, home-study course etc. Every business owner has some area where they have experienced success and should have a product teaching others what they have learned while at the same time receiving passive income from the product sales.
What is your favorite technology that supports your online business and why?
Wave Accounting. This is the simplest way I have found to keep track of my income and expenses and it is 100% free. It integrates with the invoicing system I use (Freshbooks) and you can also connect your business bank account as well.
What charity do you donate to and why is it special to you?
Kiva http://www.kiva.org/ I am passionate about entrepreneurship and Kiva is supporting entrepreneurs across the world by providing microloans for as little as $25 to help meet specific business needs of underprivileged business owners.
What is on your “NEED WANT LOVE” list to do in life?
I NEED to be myself without fear of judgment.
I WANT to inspire the world to pursue their passions through entrepreneurship.
I LOVE freedom – spiritual freedom, freedom of time and financial freedom.
What industry trends are you following that interest you?
None. I am here to blaze my own path and cannot allow myself to be “caught up” in what everyone else is doing.
Who are your mentors?
I believe there is something to be learned from everyone and that it is important not to follow one person too closely because when they make a mistake (which we all do) you can easily find yourself disappointed.
What entrepreneurs inspire you to live brilliantly?
I love Marie Forleo (MarieForleo.com) because she is unapologetically true to herself and wildly successful as a result.
How do you promote your business?
My website, social media and online business listing sites such as Manta.com.
What challenges did you face promoting your business in the startup phase?
Making sure my message was clear and relevant. People don’t typically wake up in the morning thinking “I really need some market research today!” It took me some time to learn to communicate to my target audience that yes every business needs some market research but it doesn’t have to be difficult or boring.
What tip would you give a new person starting out in your industry?
There are way too many very large and very well established market research companies for you to enter this industry trying to be like everyone else. Figure out what makes your services unique and highlight those differences every chance you get.
Bio:
Summer Alexander, CEO of Summer Alexander Research loves to help small businesses succeed by providing them with the information they need to make smart business decisions. Summer emphasizes that conducting market research is one of the most important steps in business planning but knows it doesn’t have to be complicated and boring. Visit Summer Alexander Research to download the free Launch Your Business with Ease Toolkit and jumpstart your business planning today!
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4 Comments
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CEO of Myself 
This is a great article and I will most definitely be following you on Friday’s !
Great! Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.
Thank you for the feature Suzette!
It’s great learning about what you do and how you do it. Thanks for sharing.