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Family Fun Event: The Vintage Baseball Showcase will take place on June 29th, 2024 at 2 PM Hosted: Old Fort Baseball Co A glimpse into the past and the original of America’s Game where it all began, Fort Wayne, Indiana. FORT WAYNE, IN - The Indianapolis Blues and the Elkhart County Railroaders will face off in the inaugural Vintage Baseball Showcase hosted by Old Fort Baseball Co. This Vintage Baseball game will be played using 1864 rules. This one-of-a-kind event will showcase vintage-style uniforms and authentic period equipment to allow the fans to step back in time to see how America’s Game began. The Vintage Baseball Showcase will take place on June 29th, 2024, at 2 PM at Lawton Park in downtown Fort Wayne. This is a free event and is open to the public.  It’s a family-friendly event, complete with food vendors, giveaways, and activities for fans of all ages. Whether a fan is a seasoned baseball enthusiast or a newcomer to America’s National Pastime, this event promises to be an unforgettable experience. Sponsors:

February is here and the month is full of new and exciting events for you to try! From family friendly fun to cute date night options this month is sure to have something for everyone! This weekend includes Public Hike: World Wetlands Day Hike: 5000 Smith Road Fort Wayne IN 46804 Annual Cinderella Dress Day: 120 West Jefferson Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Warrior Breakfast: 9807 Lima Road Fort Wayne IN 46818 If you love seeing weekend events, learning more about our local businesses, and getting informed about business happenings subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you're always in the loop about what's happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

Franchise owners often find themselves in a unique position, straddling the line between being a small business owner and being part of a larger entity. While there are benefits to being part of an established brand, franchise owners still have to go through many of the same challenges and responsibilities as any small business owner. Including managing the day-to-day operations, hiring and training staff, marketing and promotion, ensuring a positive customer experience, and overcoming any challenges that may arise throughout their business journey. One franchise owner who exemplifies this is Veteran Rudy Lechuga, owner of F45 Training in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When Rudy began hearing more and more about the F45 brand, he started looking into what it would take to bring the training facility to Fort Wayne. He quickly became obsessed with the concept and pursued his entrepreneurial dreams of becoming a business owner. When we asked Lechuga to describe what F45 is, he said, “F45 is a functional fitness facility that combines circuit training and functional strength movements to provide an efficient workout that works for any fitness level. Everyone works, and rests at the same time, so you can go at your own pace, and make it as hard as you want. The “F” stands for functional, and the 45 stands for 45 minutes. I love that the brand programs the same workout for every studio worldwide for that day.” Today, thousands of F45 studios are scattered throughout the world, but now, thanks to Rudy, Fort Wayne is finally on the list. Rudy Lechuga was born and raised in San Jose, California. However, once he was in middle school, his family moved across the country to Fort Wayne, Indiana. When we talked about his upbringing, Lechuga mentioned that growing up without a father made his childhood different from most kids. Still, he remembers having an enjoyable childhood and spending a lot of time in athletics, where he was on his school’s wrestling and football teams. He even picked up volleyball in his early years of high school. Rudy spent most of his high school days at Wayne but transferred to Northrop midway through his junior year. After graduating from Northrop High School, Lechuga went on to play football for Anderson University. After a couple of years, Rudy returned to Fort Wayne and began taking business classes at a local community college. Before completing his degree, he decided to enlist in the Marines Corps. After completing Marine Corps boot camp, Rudy came home to be with his first-born daughter while still serving his country. After 6.5 years of being in the Marines, Rudy switched branches and joined the Air Force Reserves. When talking about that transition, he said, “The Marines were fun. I loved it and everything it gave me, like the camaraderie and the discipline. I learned a lot, and it gave me the structure I didn’t really have growing up, but we weren’t going anywhere. I wanted to get deployed; that’s what you sign up for. My unit was in Terre Haute, and we hadn’t gone anywhere in the 6.5 years I was there. I started talking to a recruiter to see what it would look like to switch branches, and I did it. That was the biggest culture shock doing that switch, but I’ve been in the Air Force for a little over six years and recently signed another 2-year contract.” We asked Rudy if he had been deployed since transitioning into the Air Force, and he said he was deployed to Turkey within his first year. When Rudy is not working on his military duties, he works for a corporate relocation company that helps large corporations move executives or other employees from one country to another with language and culture assistance to help make the transition easier for them. Although Rudy enjoyed both his military and civilian jobs, he still had the desire to become a business owner at the forefront of his mind. Although he had considered a few business ideas throughout his early adulthood, he never fully committed to them due to how difficult it can be to build a company from the ground up. That held true until owning an F45 franchise came across his radar, and he began looking further into the idea. When we discussed how he first came across F45, he said, “I’ve been a part of a gym all my life. In the Marine Corps, I really started getting into functional fitness and cross fit and started seeing the benefits of what it could do. For me, and I think for many former or ex-athletes, you have nothing to fill that void when you’re done with high school or college sports. Going to the normal big box gyms is a good way to stay in shape, but for me personally, they’re not as fun as being in a group fitness class. So, being in a group fitness environment helped me push myself a little harder, but we didn’t have anything like F45 that combined technology with functional fitness in a boutique setting. The TV’s and the tech really allows the coaches to focus on the members and give them that personal training feel. At that time, I had never really heard of F45, but I had seen it a few times through social media. One of my best friends in Fishers joined one and raved about it, and then when I  went to my military training on a weekend, one of my friends mentioned he was a coach at one in Chicago. At that point, I was like, okay, I keep hearing about F45, I keep seeing the brand, what is this place? So I asked him, and he explained it to me, and then I asked my friend in Fishers more about it. After that, I started looking into it more myself and thought it was really cool. Then I saw they had a great program that helped Veterans become owners of an F45, so, at that point, I started looking into applying for one. I began talking to other studio owners and doing my due diligence to see what it was all about and how fruitful it could be. When I got the ball rolling, I became very obsessed with it and started going through their whole process of getting one, and now here we are.” As we discussed the process of bringing the franchise to Fort Wayne, Rudy explained how much easier it was for him to open the business now that the groundwork was already provided to him from a structure and organizational standpoint. He said he would have never opened his own gym without those critical pieces because there are just too many variables that need to go into opening a gym right from the start. Now that he had the structure, the programming, and the support from other F45 owners, he felt way more confident in his ability to run the business. Although F45 is a franchise, Rudy still considers himself a small business owner. In fact, we believe most franchise owners should look at themselves as small business owners. Even though the structure of the business was provided to Rudy, it was still up to him to put out the money, find the facility, manage the construction process, hire and train staff, market to potential members, learn all the back-end requirements of the business, and overcome any challenges that came his way just like any small business owner has to do. As we talked about the beginning stages of getting started, we asked Rudy if he ran into any challenges, and he explained to us that the hardest part in the beginning, by far, was the construction process. He said, “I got possession of the building in April of 2022, and it was one of those things where you just have to learn as you go. We got ownership of the building and got scheduled with contractors. Then we ran into so many issues with delays. I knew from the start that I didn’t want to start paying for marketing F45 until we knew that things were progressing because otherwise, we would just have people waiting for us to open. We waited to start marketing until August of 2022 with the hope of opening in early October, but then it was just delay after delay. Soon enough, 2022 went by, and we didn’t end up having our soft opening until February 18th, 2023, and then our grand opening on March 4th, 2023. So, from August of 2022 to March of 2023, there were just constant delays. People started to move on after a while because they wanted something now, so we didn’t start as strong as we wanted to or as strong as we could have. As frustrating as it all was, the biggest thing I learned in the Marines is to control what you can control. There’s no point in getting so frustrated and wasting energy on things you can’t control, and I feel like I do a good job at that with most things, but that was one thing that I had to do a lot throughout this whole construction process. Another challenge was that Fort Wayne has no other F45 locations in the area, so we didn’t have anywhere to train our coaches and teach them the system and technology. Most other cities with an F45 have multiple locations near them to learn from, but the closest one to us at that time was in Fishers, Indiana. I would try taking people there when I could, but that was definitely another challenge.” Today, almost a year after F45 opened for business, Rudy has seven trainers who work at the studio, helping coach a community of members that continues to grow. As we talked about what the average week looks like for someone who goes to F45, Lechuga explained that each day will have a specific focus point, but the workout style will remain the same for about four weeks before transitioning to a new phase. Although the style stays the same for four weeks, the day-to-day movements will change with each day of the week circulating between cardio, strength training, and hybrid. Something we found unique about the program at F45 is that everything is time-based instead of having to do a specific number of reps or sets at each station before moving on to the next. This model ensures that members at any stage in their workout journey can participate without feeling like they’re falling behind or getting discouraged. As Rudy explained the program to us, he said, “Each workout is work X amount, rest X amount. So, for example, on Monday, which is a cardio day, you’ll work for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds, and the overall goal is to maintain a higher heart rate around 85% of your max heart rate. Cardio days are going to blast your aerobic and anaerobic systems. Cardio isn’t just running, biking, or rowing the whole time either; cardio really means using lighter weights, more body weight work, and core work while working for a longer period of time. On Tuesday, which is strength day, it will include heavier weights, and the timing could be 30-35 seconds of work with 25-30 seconds of rest. It doesn’t seem like much of a difference because some think, ‘Oh, what’s ten more seconds?’ but that extra time of rest keeps your heart rate low so you can recover, and when you come to that next set, you can build up heavier in weight. So the main difference between cardio, strength, and hybrid will be the timing. It's not uncommon to see our members burn anywhere from 500 to almost 1,000 calories within the different types of workouts.” As we discussed how F45 works, we asked Rudy what he thinks sets his studio apart from other gyms besides the program. He said, “We have several TVs along the wall, so on days where we have a lot of stations, for example, 18 different stations, and you get to station 12, and you can’t remember what you were supposed to do, you can look up at the numbered TVs, look for the number that matches what station you’re at and it will show a looping demo of what you need to be doing. So, no matter where you go in the room, you’ll be able to see what you need to do. Along with that, we also have two certified trainers on the floor at all times, so that also makes us different. We want our members to have that feel of personal training while still in a group setting. With the two coaches on the floor and the third on the TV, you never have to worry about memorizing everything you have to do.” Although F45 is still in its first year, it’s clear that the company is rapidly growing, frequently adding new members to the community. When we discussed Rudy’s hopes for the company’s future, he told us that he plans to keep the same mission he’s held since the beginning: creating a healthier Fort Wayne. His goal has been to create a space where people can build a community with like-minded individuals and help them become healthier and begin doing things they may not have been able to do before. Although opening a second F45 location would be a lot of fun, Rudy wants to continue putting all his focus into creating this studio into the best it can be before entertaining that idea. He even said he plans to remain a coach at F45 no matter how large the company grows. He loves seeing the light bulb click in people’s heads when he explains or shows them something new, and watching his members succeed in their health journey brings him a lot of joy. Outside of F45, Rudy is a father of three girls, and he’s always wanted to set an excellent example for them. Now that he is a gym owner, he feels he has learned many new valuable lessons in both business and life that he can’t wait to share with his girls. F45 is not just a fitness studio but a place where Rudy Lechuga is making a difference. His genuine passion for helping people shines through in every aspect of his work. Despite being a franchise, he has managed to create a small business atmosphere where he can personally connect with his clients and positively impact their health journey. As he continues to embark on his entrepreneurial journey, Rudy’s dedication to learning and bringing awareness to his studio will undoubtedly lead to continued success. When we asked Rudy what advice he would give to other entrepreneurs hoping to leap into business ownership, he said, “The main thing is to take risks. I know that’s a cliche answer, but if you never start something or even start inquiring, you’ll never know what could have been. Look at everything as a learning opportunity. Regardless if the outcome is good or bad, you learn something. I wouldn’t be where I am if I had never started looking into F45 and asking questions. I’m not super successful or anything, but I wouldn’t have gotten to the point of battling all the roadblocks if I never took that leap to start asking questions. As a new entrepreneur/business owner who knew nothing and still has much to learn, I wasn’t scared to ask questions. Whether I was talking with banks or SCORE, I never tried to fake that I knew something. Being okay with not knowing what you think you should know would be my next advice. Lose the stigma that you need to know everything before you start a business. You can learn along the way; you don’t need a business degree to be a good business owner. You can research a lot of things on your own, or networking with other business owners can provide you with a lot of resources and information.” We want to send a huge thank you to Rudy for taking the time to share his story with us and for his service to our country. We also want to thank Nike with Creative Roots Media for capturing all the photos you see throughout the article. If you enjoy seeing all the incredible people making an impact in Fort Wayne, one business at a time, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter so you’re always in the loop about what’s happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

As the last weekend in January quickly approaches we have everything you'll need to know about happening this weekend throughout the Fort Wayne area from meeting princesses to going to the circus there's something for everyone! Beginners Photography Class: 202 W Superior St Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Shrine Circus: 4000 Parnell Ave Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Elsa and Anna at Icing for Izaac: 243 Airport North Office Park Fort Wayne, IN 46825 13th Annual Winterval 2024: Throughout Downtown Fort Wayne If you love seeing weekend events, learning more about our local businesses, and getting informed about business happenings subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you're always in the loop about what's happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

In the heart of Fort Wayne, Indiana, lies a chocolate lover's paradise known as DeBrand Fine Chocolates. This beloved local chocolate shop has captured residents' and visitors' hearts and taste buds thanks to its exquisite creations and commitment to excellence. Behind this sweet success story is Cathy Brand-Beere, the visionary founder who turned her passion for creating chocolate treats into a thriving empire. Join us as we delve into the inspiring journey of Cathy and the legacy she has built with DeBrand. When describing what DeBrand is today, Cathy said, "It's a gift that brings happiness to people from young children to the elderly, and it's really for any occasion. It's also an affordable luxury. Not everyone can afford the most luxurious car or vacation, but this is a luxury that almost everyone can afford. We always strive for excellence, and I love that DeBrand has been something in which Fort Wayne and surrounding residents have taken pride. Whether by visiting our shop or having our chocolate shipped to their friends and family throughout the country or even worldwide. So it's been nice to see the pride people take in their local chocolate shop." Cathy Brand-Beere spent her early childhood just north of Fort Wayne where her siblings grew up, but when she was eight years old, she along with her parents moved to the area where she would now grow up in a home off Wells Street. When describing her childhood, Cathy said, "It was a great childhood. I had six siblings who were much older, so I was like an only child, but I still had siblings. I was by far the youngest, and my parents were trusting in general, but they had already raised six kids, so they gave me a little more freedom growing up. A lot of times, parents with an only child are overprotective, but in my case, it was like the best of every world." When Cathy was only eight, she began working with chocolate at her parents' cake decorating, candy making, and wedding supply store, Country Kitchen. She enjoyed using the supplies from the store to create jewelry, cakes, and candies and selling them to her school friends. Having the opportunity to grow up with entrepreneurial parents, Cathy told us how much she enjoyed watching her parents run a small business with hard work and integrity. Today, Country Kitchen is run by Cathy's niece, so the company is still in the family. Cathy graduated from North Side High School, and although she had always dreamt of opening her own chocolate shop, she felt she needed to get a 'real job,' so she started her career as an architectural drafter. After a few years, Brand-Beere began creating a series of booklets featuring sweets and recipes made with products from Country Kitchen. Then, in October 1987, Cathy went all in on her dreams. She took everything she had saved over the last several years, purchased used cases, ingredients, and equipment, and officially opened her chocolate shop, DeBrand. In the beginning, Cathy created and sold the chocolates she made from her childhood home. We asked what her first menu options were, and she said, "I remember I was in an airport somewhere, and I started a list of what I wanted to start with. I wrote down caramels, orange creme, mocha cream, and caramel pecan something. I kind of started off that list, and a few of those things are still offered today. We didn't have as many products then as we do now, but it was enough to get started." As we discussed the challenges in the beginning stages of DeBrand, Brand-Beere said, "I would say everything was a challenge in the beginning. Many things are challenging even now, but that's part of the fun. Business is like a game where you have to strategize and try your best to win. I could tell you a million challenges, like how every product we make you wouldn't believe how every little step has to be just right or something will look or taste wrong. You just have to know that challenges are part of the deal." A year after starting the business, Cathy married Tim Beere, and together, they continued to work in the company. In 2002, they opened the DeBrand chocolate kitchen and storefront off Auburn Road, and that location is still the central hub that creates, distributes, and invents new products today. Over the years, Cathy and Tim had three daughters, all of whom grew up within the walls of DeBrand, learning and tasting all the delicious treats, just as Cathy did at her parents' business growing up. Excellence and quality have been the standards Cathy has lived by since the creation of DeBrand. To ensure she is always living up to these standards, Cathy has traveled the world to find the best ingredients and to get inspiration from countries known for their chocolatier abilities. We asked what her favorite destinations have been throughout her travels, and she told us from a chocolate standpoint that Belgium, Switzerland, and Paris stand out among the rest. She shared that there was a time she was on a street corner in Belgium, with five chocolate shops gracing a single street. As we talked about the different chocolates and treats that have held a spot within the DeBrand showcase, we asked Cathy if she is the leading visionary behind each new item; she said, "I would say I'm the visionary for the business and the products, but I do have a small team of people who are involved in the process. They are involved in brainstorming and experimenting in the kitchen, and that's a team of about three or four, including me. New products take about 30-40 attempts before we are happy with the results, but even at that point, it may fail the time test for shelf life, so if that happens, we can't do it. So there is a lot that goes into creating each piece that most people don't realize." Although there is no concrete number of items that can be offered, Cathy says she has to eliminate items almost as fast as she adds new ones. The challenge with removing items from the menu is that oftentimes, it's still someone's favorite, so there is a lot of thought before something gets taken out of the case indefinitely. When it comes to seasonal treats, caramel apples stand out as a staple for DeBrand, loved by everyone who has tried one. The delicious apples are sourced from an orchard in the state of Washington, so although they come out every fall, there is no designated day they go on display. Once the apples are picked and packed, it takes four days before they receive them at their Auburn Road kitchen. Cathy says the caramel apples are so highly anticipated every year that it almost feels like a holiday itself. As we were talking about the seasonal treats, it led us to ask what is the busiest day of the year for DeBrand, and she said the most active days of the year would be February 13th and 14th, but the busiest time of the year is definitely Christmas. Although the shops are packed full of customers needing Valentine's Day treats, Christmas shoppers are visiting DeBrand locations buying gifts for multiple loved ones for weeks leading up to the holidays. Today, people nationwide can find DeBrand chocolates in their local stores year round because about 15 years ago, Cathy decided to expand their products into the wholesale market. All products sold in stores are made, packed, and shipped from their central hub, and when we asked Brand-Beere about the challenges of expanding into wholesale, she said, "We went into wholesale when I was ready for something new. I wouldn't say it was a hard transition, but it was a lot of figuring things out and a lot of work, which I also think is fun and exciting. That's what I like to do: try new things. There's no difference for me really between creating a new product or starting a new division for the company. It's challenging and fun. We got most of our early wholesale clients from booths at trade shows, and for the first 2-3 years, I worked every booth, which was quite a few each year, to get started before I turned it over to others who did a great job with it. Fortunately, before COVID, we had changed our approach to getting new business and decided to slow down or stop doing trade shows altogether, so thankfully, when COVID hit, we had not been signed up for any trade shows. We changed our approach because when we would go to a lot of the trade shows, it would be the same people who already buy our products, so they could just email or call us with their orders. So I was like, okay, let's change our mindset to get new business. It was fun. Starting a business, creating new products, or opening a new division are all part of the creative process of figuring things out, and I really enjoy it." We asked Cathy how DeBrand handled all the challenges that came with COVID-19, and she said their motto throughout that time was 'adapt and change.' Since regulations were changing on what felt like a daily basis, she and her team were always ready to change things up if needed if it meant they could continue doing what they loved: creating and selling chocolate. Today, all three of the Brand-Beere daughters work for the company, with one in line to take over when Cathy is ready to retire, but she hopes that doesn't happen for a long time because she is still having fun. As for the company's future, Cathy hopes to continue providing nothing but excellence to their customers and to continue creating new products and divisions if it makes sense for the company. Cathy Brand-Beere's journey from a chocolate enthusiast to becoming the founder of DeBrand is a testament to the power of following one's passion. Her unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and quality has made DeBrand a true gem in Fort Wayne and beyond. As you savor each bite of a DeBrand chocolate, you can't help but appreciate the sweet success story behind it all. To finish our conversation, we asked Cathy what advice she would give an entrepreneur hoping to start their own business; she said, "I would say if you love it and you're sure you want to take on the work and time to do it, do it. If you don't love it, don't do it because you have to put in a lot of work and time to succeed. Business was my hobby. Well, I have two things: business and family. I had no time for anything else, so I was fine that it was pretty much my life; I loved it." We want to send a huge thank you to Cathy Brand-Beere for taking the time to share her entrepreneurial journey with us as she created DeBrand. We also want to thank Nike with Creative Roots Media for capturing the photos you see throughout the article. If you enjoy reading the stories of entrepreneurs helping to shape Fort Wayne, one business at a time, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter so you're always in the loop about what's happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

Although the weather has been freezing this week, we still have some fun INDOOR events happening this weekend if you are itching to get out of the house with the family or a group of friends! 28 Days Haunted Cast Take On The Bell Mansion: 420 West Wayne St Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Junior Vendor Jamboree: 1501 East Berry St Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Kids’ DIY-U Workshop: My First DIY Toolbox: 1929 North Coliseum Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46805 As always, if you love everything we're doing here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal, make sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our FREE monthly newsletter so you're always informed about what's happening here!

Key Takeaway Celebrate National Vision Board Day Find inspiration from Social Media and Digital Magazines Create a Digital Vision Board for free Being celebrated on January 13th, 2024, National Vision Board Day is a special day dedicated to setting goals and visualizing our dreams. As an entrepreneur, having a vision is detrimental to your company's future and strategic planning. A vision board is a powerful tool that helps us clarify our desires and manifest them into reality. It is a collage of images, words, and affirmations that represent our dreams and aspirations. By creating a vision board, we are able to visualize our goals and stay focused on what we want to achieve. National Vision Board Day is a reminder to all that this day/week provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their aspirations and create a visual representation of their goals. Finding inspiration in today’s world has gotten considerably easier than ever. Dominated by social media companies, blogs, and digital magazines, these businesses have given us more access to visualize the world around us. One of the best places to find visuals for your digital vision board would be Instagram. Instagram can be a great way to discover new ideas, trends, and creative inspiration through images. Here are some tips on how to find inspirational pictures on Instagram: 1. Use hashtags: Hashtags are a powerful tool for discovering content on Instagram. Search for hashtags related to the type of inspiration you're looking for. For example, if you're interested in interior design, search for hashtags like #interiordesign, #homedecor, or #homeinspiration. Explore the top posts and recent posts under these hashtags to find inspirational pictures. 2. Scroll through the explore page: Instagram's explore page is tailored to your interests based on your activity on the platform. It showcases posts and accounts that align with your preferences. Spend some time viewing the content on the explore page to discover new accounts and inspirational pictures. 3. Follow curated accounts: There are many Instagram accounts dedicated to curating and sharing inspirational content. These accounts often have a specific theme or niche, such as travel, fashion, or art. Find and follow these accounts to have a constant source of inspiration in your feed. When using Instagram, remember to use the "Save" feature: Instagram's "Save" feature allows you to save posts to collections that you can refer back to later. When you come across an inspirational picture that resonates with you, save it to a relevant collection. This way, you can easily access and revisit your saved inspiration pictures whenever you need a creative boost. While finding inspirational pictures on Instagram is a great way to spark your creativity, it's important to give credit to the original creators. If you plan to use or share any of the pictures you find, make sure to properly attribute them to the original source and don’t promote or advertise, without consulting with them first! If you want to get started today on creating a digital vision board, you first need a tool and service that delivers collage features and photos. When it comes to the design of how your digital vision board will look we recommend using Canva or Spark Post. These are applications you can download from your App Store. They both offer free versions and will help you get started on your digital vision board. For example, let's download the App, Canva. It is a free mobile and desktop application that will help your vision come to life. Once the app is installed, create a free account and check out the features. When you are on the main page, click the plus button to select the size you want for your project or go straight to the search bar and look up photo collages to get inspired by other creators' layouts. Once you’ve decided how you want your digital vision board to look, upload the images you found inspiring from Instagram search or other digital platforms and start creating. After you have all your goals, hopes, and aspirations scattered throughout the page, save the image to your phone and set it as your background, Lock Screen, or widget. Having your digital vision board in a place that you can look at every day, multiple times a day, just while simply using your phone, you can’t help but spend every day working towards the goals you’ve set for yourself this year. National Vision Board Day is not only a fun and creative way to start the year, but it also serves as a reminder of the importance of setting goals and visualizing our dreams. It is a day to celebrate the power of manifestation and the belief that anything is possible when we set our minds to it.

Key Takeaways Sales, an integral part of any entrepreneur's success, can be distilled into a three-step process: Capturing attention Bring Value Closing the Deal It starts with that initial spark, where you grab the market's attention in a way that's both unique and memorable. It's about nurturing that initial curiosity into genuine interest, engaging potential customers by showing them how your business offering can fit seamlessly into their lives. The final step, closing the sale, is more than just a transaction. It's about building a relationship founded on trust and value, turning a simple purchase into the start of an ongoing partnership and loyal customer. This approach is not just a set formula; it easily adjusts to meet the needs of different industries and markets, helping entrepreneurs build solid connections and grow. In the first step of the sales process, capturing attention, modern companies have a wealth of tools at their disposal, particularly in digital outreach like social media and email marketing. Utilizing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X allows businesses to tap into vast audiences, tailoring their message to suit the unique demographics and preferences of each platform. For instance, Instagram can be ideal for visually compelling stories, while LinkedIn is more suited for B2B (business-to-business) communication. Email marketing, on the other hand, offers a more direct and personal way to reach potential customers. It allows for tailored content that can address the specific interests or needs of your audience, fostering a sense of connection and relevance. The key is to craft emails that are not only informative but also engaging and reflective of your brand's personality. In the second step of the sales process, building interest, the goal is to deepen the initial connection you have made through social media or email marketing. It's about taking that first spark of attention and turning it into a strong, more focused interest in what you have to sell. Here, personalization is critical. You start by understanding what your customers are looking for and then engaging them with content that speaks directly to their needs and goals by hitting their major pain points. Whether it's through informative blog posts, practical how-to guides, interactive webinars, or personalized demonstrations, you're showing the true value of what you have to offer. The focus is on making your product or service stand out as a solution that fits perfectly into your customer's life, addressing their specific challenges or enhancing their experiences. The final step of the sales process is closing the sale, which is more than just finishing a deal and making the transaction. This stage is crucial in ensuring the customer feels their decision is both rewarding and beneficial. It involves a careful mix of reaffirming the product's value, addressing any remaining concerns, and streamlining the purchase process to ensure customer confidence. Effective communication and thoughtful negotiation are key, focusing on the customer's needs and making them feel secure in their choice. Additionally, this stage sets the foundation for a lasting relationship. After the sale, continued engagement, excellent customer service, and feedback solicitation are vital in cultivating customer loyalty and potentially encouraging repeat business. Ultimately, this step is about transitioning from a sale to a lasting partnership, where the measure of success extends beyond immediate profit to long-term customer satisfaction and brand advocacy. The sales process is a journey of connection and understanding, a blend of art, and strategy crucial for any business, and overall entrepreneurial success. Remember, start with capturing attention through digital platforms like social media and email marketing, where companies can create the initial spark of attention and reach out. Next, build interest in what you sell and focus on personalized messages by offering solutions tailored to their needs and aspirations. The final step is sealing the deal, where the focus shifts to confirming the customer's choice, ensuring they feel good about their purchase, and laying the groundwork for a lasting relationship. Again, this three-step process for entrepreneurs is not just a formula but an adaptable approach, critical for building strong connections and fostering growth across various industries and markets. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, Sign Up for the Fort Wayne Business Journal Newsletter to learn more about entrepreneurship and local business owners. If you have a request for a business or entrepreneurial topic, email us at info@businessjournalfw.com

Are you ready for another weekend full of events for the whole family in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Well you've come to the right place! Below you'll see that we have found an array of events happening this weekend and we are sure you'll find something fun to attend. Skate It Off: 333 S Clinton Street Fort Wayne, IN 46802 PetSmart Adoption Event: 10035 Lima Road Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Detroit Wing Company Grand Opening: 6320 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Art Classes at the Bell Mansion: 420 W Wayne St Fort Wayne, IN 46802 As always if you enjoy seeing weekend events, entrepreneur stories, or business happenings and advice subscribe to our free monthly newsletter so you never miss what's happening here at the Fort Wayne Business Journal.

Georgetown, IN: Ohlashia Cowley, a visionary entrepreneur from Fort Wayne, has achieved remarkable success through her strategic business ventures in the laundromat industry. On January 1st, 2024, she took over the laundromat in Churbusco, making that her second Itoro and Don’s Kwik Wash location, but she is not done yet! Ohlashia will be adding another location to the Itoro and Don’s Kwik Wash roster on January 15th, 2024. Cowley will become the new proud owner of Crown Cleaners, Dry Cleaning & Coin Laundry located within Georgetown Square at 6750 E State Blvd in Fort Wayne, IN. Once the keys are in hand, Ohlashia has plans to transform this location just as she has done to the others. Renovations will begin in February with plans to gut the entire location to add new machines, floors, paint, countertops, lighting, and more. Throughout February, the location will remain open until the new machines arrive in March; at that point, the laundromat will need to close temporarily to get them installed.  A unique feature at the Itoro and Don’s Kwik Wash Georgetown location will be their ability to continue to offer dry cleaning services. Ohlashia is excited to be able to keep this service available for the community while also providing a fresh new environment for every client that is in need of any of their services. Now, with three locations, Cowley’s journey from buying, selling, gutting, and updating laundromats has not only transformed her businesses but also serves as an inspiration to entrepreneurs who are also trying to buy, build, and grow a business. Through her determination and hard work throughout the last 2 years, Ohlashia has had the pleasure of taking ownership of three laundromat locations and transforming them into new, clean, and enjoyable places and thriving businesses. Crown Cleaners, Dry Cleaning & Coin Laundry is Under New Ownership: located in Georgetown Square at 6750 E State Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN, 46815. We also want to thank Rezz Gold (Rezzie Rezz) on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rezztv/