Where in the world is your business?

Boulder CO

In previous articles. I’ve mentioned how small my business is here in Boulder compared to when I lived in Chicago and Dallas. According to the U.S. census bureau, the population in Boulder is just over 300,000; Chicago is under 3 million at 2,718,000; and Dallas comes in at around 2.5 million.

I’m sharing this information with you for two reasons. First, my business is smaller because I wanted to live a more relaxed life and therefore I moved to a slow-paced mountain town. I don’t book my work days as heavily as I have in the past. I also bring attention to this because since I live in a small town vs. a big city, there are less people available to become clients. Naturally I don’t have the same sized client pool I would (and did) in larger, more populated cities. Just looking at these two photos tells the story. One portrays a town that has lots of open space; the other a large metropolis.

Chicagoland’s skyline

If I was just starting out in the business yet living in the Boulder area, I would definitely look to Denver to start my career. With an estimated population of around 664,000, it has twice the population of Boulder. I would therefore have twice as many clients; that’s just simple to math.

Imagine in a big city with millions of residents how many more clients I would have. Almost 10 times as many and realistically, that is about the case. I mentioned in The Importance of a Cancellation List (see link below), at times in my Chicago storefront location I had a two month waiting list just to get a first appointment with me. In fact I had to stop taking standing clients because my schedule was getting too locked in. I was busy! And for me, then, and in Dallas too, it was ideal. Thinking about having that kind of schedule now makes me feel tired and overwhelmed. It just isn’t how I’ve structured my business nor my life at this point in my career.

I want to make it clear that if you are starting a business in a relatively small town, it will be harder for you to make a living. It really just comes down to math. To make this equation even more difficult, if you are a novice opening a business, you may not be able to hold onto clients like you want to. You may believe in yourself (and that’s a must) but you may have a harder time pulling in clients if you’re an unknown. Starting a business in a small town is necessarily more work. You don’t have the client pool you would in a larger populated area; you have less people who will be looking to get facials. It’s as simple as that.

As an example, in my office suite there used to be a married couple, both newly certified Rolfers just out of school. They had to resort to offering continual “deals” through Groupon and other discount coupon companies. This did net them clients, but as I mention in Special Promotion discounts, sometimes discounting your services at rock bottom prices is painful. And it was for them. They had regulars, but because the population in Boulder and the surrounding cities is low, they simply couldn’t make their fledgling business work.

Eventually, while still keeping their office in Boulder, they opened a second location in Denver. It was a risk, but one they had to take. And I'm happy to say it really paid off. They got so busy in Denver, without any coupon/discount deals, they closed the Boulder office and concentrated their efforts in one spot—their Denver office.

That is just one example, but it’s a good one. It is difficult to make a name for yourself in a small town. Or rather it’s hard to make substantial money working in a town with a small population—especially if you’re a newbie.

Don’t be discouraged, just be informed. Before you plan your business you should research what it would look like client-wise in terms of population. You might have to reach outside your place of residence to find a demographic that can support your business. 

Perhaps you’re like me. Although you are just starting a business, it isn’t mandatory that is goes gangbusters. You like a quiet, relaxed schedule and it won’t hurt you financially to let the business grow and build over time. Somehow I doubt that would be the case with many people. Why go into business if you aren’t gun ho and wanting to build it into something sustainable. And that is where 30 years of experience comes in. It is relatively easy for me to attract new clients so I can be “relaxed” and have a more quiet schedule because there are always new (and existing) clients desirous of my services.

Do your research. And keep “low overhead” tattooed to your forehead. These two things, among others, are essential when you’re looking to start a new business from the ground up.

For more details, see:

• The Importance of a Cancellation List 
• Special Promotion discounts