BUSINESS MOMENTUM
BY BLAINE LITTLE
Fully Promoting Your Brand IN OCTOBER OF 2019, Gabe Frazier and Bethany Cardente purchased the Embroid Me location near the Stones River Country Club on Broad Street. The franchise was soon converted to Fully Promoted and the new owners remodeled the front of the store. A new sign was hung, and the new showroom looked great! Frazier said he knew “the business would be a success so long as there is not an economic downturn.” Wouldn’t you know it, their unspoken fears were realized. A couple of years ago, Frazier who is in personal insurance, was looking for another business opportunity which would not take him away from his insurance agency. He spoke with several business brokers about what enterprises were available in the Murfreesboro area. Most did not seem to be a good fit for him, but he felt promotions to be a safe bet. “Every business owner is in marketing,” he said. “I also think a lot of people get into business and they don’t necessarily spend an adequate amount of time developing a marketing plan and coming up with a strategy to effectively get the word out to the marketplace.” As an entrepreneur, Frazier wanted to diversify, and also had a number of bad experiences with marketers in the past that were a source of frustration. Though he owns Compass Insurance Group in town, he felt there was a need for providing good products and great service in the branded apparel and promotional items realm. Functionally, though, he did not see himself running the day-to-day operations of a storefront. He knew Cardente and gave her a call to see if there was an interest in a partnership. A year prior, Cardente reached out to Frazier to ask for business advice when she graduated from MTSU. “My degree is in merchandising and buying, so I thought I wanted to go that route,” she said. Though she was managing another store at the time, she knew retail could be risky for a business owner. Still, like her counterpart, she had that entrepreneurial spirit. So partnering was intriguing
to her. They talked about it and the rest is history, as they say. Frazier is more of a silent partner at Fully Promoted, while Cardente manages the dayto-day operations. When COVID hit, they both knew it was time to quickly pivot from what they thought would be their business model. Fortunately, the Fully Promoted corporation already had strong ties with manufacturers of masks and other forms of personal protection equipment. So, the local franchise was able to provide medical clinics and rest homes with facial coverings that not only performed a function but promoted a message as well. Other franchisees within the FP brand also provided great support, as other owners were very giving with operational ideas during the beginning of the pandemic. The Fully Promoted store provides businesses, charities and sports teams with thousands of brandable items to help them get their name out. Visiting the showroom at 1818 NW Broad St. in Murfreesboro and looking at all the available options will inspire any marketer or distributor with dozens of ideas, whether or not they know what they are looking for. It really is about the longevity of advertising your brand. Providing customers and associates with durable goods such as mugs and backpacks means your people will think of your organization every day! Pens, tablets, water bottles, toys and duffel bags, oh my! Yes, the business still offers embroidery, too. Shirts and caps with a logo are almost like free advertising. This is also the perfect place to incentivize employees or donors with trophies and plaques. Everyone loves being appreciated for their effort. Blaine Little is the founder and CEO of Momentum Seminars Training and Coaching, helping companies remain profitable by investing in their people. Learn more at momentumseminars.com. Be sure to get his new book Managerial Mistakes, Missteps & Misunderstandings, available now on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format. Check out the podcast at bit.ly/toastcaster143. BOROPULSE.COM
* APRIL 2021 * 23
