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Small Business Appreciation Week is September 20-26 so to celebrate we are highlighting a few business members who volunteered to share their stories.
The categories are:
Breaking Barriers
Small Store, Big Heart
Out of the Ordinary
Home Grown
Bigger Than Before
Today we are sharing our fourth category - Home Grown featuring Proceller8.
Hi Paul and Amy! Thank you for allowing us an inside look at your business!
First question, will you each tell us a bit about yourselves?
"We are Paul and Amy Hazard and our company is named Proceller8 (P8). We have beeen residents of Kearney for 13 years. We have 3 Daughters (Kyah 13, Mekena 11, and Maci 9) that attend Kearney Public Schools. Oh! And don't forget our dog Kota!! Paul retired from the Nebraska State Patrol and Amy was in the Insurance industry prior."
Wow! We love that you were both involved with protecting our community in your other careers!
So, when did you open your shop?
"We opened in March of 2020!"
Congratulations! Will you tell us about your home based business? (How you make it work out of your home, how people can purchase from you, tell us about your products.)
"Making it work out of our home is simple, to do our business all we really need is a cell phone. Our business is online and portable, but we do have a small office space in the house for meetings and Zoom gatherings.
Our business is geared into 4 categories: we carry nutritional supplements with Energy, Weight Management, Sports Performance and General Nutrition.
Our company is geared towards simplicity. Putting multiple products inside 1 container helps simplify a daily regiment. An example of this is our protein drink that includes your daily multivitamins as well as energy that includes CoQ10 for heart health and mental focus.
To purchase our products you can contact us direct or go to our company website:
Who would you consider to be your customer?
"We try to market and do business with those that are serious about lifestyle, health and finances. That could be someone that is struggling with energy or looking to lose 100 pounds, but more importantly impacting the family looking for debt freedom."
You have your business where you live, so tell us: how do you separate home life from business?
"We both have very different roles in our business, so understanding each persons responsibility is the key. We love working together everyday, but that means you have to be very intentional about laying out time to leave business be. Sometimes that is a family vacation or a weekend escape and other times it is a simple date night. It is always being at the girl's sporting events and activities and never missing a moment of our family's lives!"
Ensuring personal time is one of the most difficult parts of owning a small business but it sounds like you two have a great system! What do you feel are the major benefits of having a home based business?
"Family Time stays #1.
The flexibility and freedom to make your schedule and work your schedule is the best. It allows you to not miss those small moments that become the biggest memories."
The theme of this segment is Home Grown. How have you grown your company and been able to find success? "Our company has grown in different areas. The use of technology and social media is by far a workhorse for us. However, getting out of our home office is the key. Belonging to the Chamber of Commerce puts us around tons of people, but also puts us around like-minded, self-employed business owners. Alternately, our branding is always developing. Recently we had the opportunity to sponsor Trevor Bayne in the NASCAR Truck series to help in the area of branding."
Very cool! Having your branding on a national platform is an outstanding form of marketing! Do you have any major goals for your business?
"Absolutely. Our one year goal is to continue to grow our product lines and market the business.
Our 5 year goal is more growth! Currently we are only in the U.S.A. and Canada. Expanding into other countries is definitely on the horizon." Those are great goals! We can't wait to watch how you grow.
Will you share with us what your favorite part of owning a small business in Kearney has been? Alternately, tell us what has been your biggest challenge.
"Our favorite part is definitely the community that you find here. Kearney is a big small town, we love going places and being able to see familiar, welcoming faces.
Our biggest struggle so far is that we launched our business in March of 2020, which is when shutdowns for COVID began. Navigating through the uncharted territory threw us for a loop, but the online portion of our business exploded far exceeding expectations."
The ability to grow and change with the seasons is what makes a great business owner. You two have that down! With struggle comes strength which means you probably have some great tips for aspiring business owners, any you would like share?
"The first step is always the biggest and scariest. Leaving the known, your job, to go into the unknown is where the fear starts. When I left the Nebraska State Patrol that was the biggest hurdle. Those are some of the best men and women I have ever been around. But once you are out of that day to day schedule, you really start to see the FREEDOM that being self employed gives you.
Take the Step. Typically, success is on the other side of fear."
Wow! What a great quote to end on. Thank you, Paul and Amy, for sharing about your business today. We have loved an inside look at how you created a home grown small business!
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