HBC Member Profile. Charlie Botts – Doctor TV ads
Tell us how did you start your business?
Honestly, this opportunity found me as opposed to me going out looking for it. I was retrenched and unemployed for almost 18 months when a friend came to me in May last year and asked me if I would be interested in looking at a business opportunity.
Doctor’s TV Ad’s is a franchised business and the local franchisee was in the process of immigrating and looking to sell her business. The more I got to research and understand the business model the more interested I became. The timing was right and things literally just seemed to fall into place. One of the main reasons I decided to take the plunge and go for it was when I realised an opportunity like this does not come across a person’s path every day in a small town like Harties.
Why advertising?
Like I said in the beginning, Doctor’s TV Ads found me. The more I looked at the business the more I saw myself in the business. I believe there is a big need for businesses in a small town like ours to create a strong brand awareness and to be visible.
The pandemic has changed our lives drastically, we have all had to adapt our lives at home and also in the way in which we run our business. A lot of people have been ‘forced’ into becoming entrepreneurs to be able to generate an income and provide for their families. In the past where there may have been two or three businesses competing in an industry within a region, in some industries now you will find there are six or seven businesses, even more competing for the same piece of the pie. Harties is no exception.
As a result, now more than ever it’s my view that you must be advertising your business regardless of what advertising platform or medium you are using, otherwise your competitor who is investing in advertising could be taking your customers away from you.
Similarly, businesses have also been forced to look at their service offering and have had to add products and services to their basket to remain relevant. If you are not communicating with and educating your customers through advertising on your new service offering, they could be going to your competitor out of ignorance.
Do you think there is a future for businesses in the advertising industry?
Absolutely. Technology is evolving continually and we need to ensure our businesses evolve with technology to ensure they remain relevant. By example, while most of us still read the newspaper or our favourite magazine on a daily or weekly basis, we are doing so more in a digital format, no longer in the print format.
Now days we are able to reach thousands of people at the click of a button and more frequently than we used to say 10 to 15 years ago, so the need to advertise and the power of advertising is not going to diminish, just the way in which we advertise and the platforms we use are going to continue to change.
Is this a hard industry to be able to survive?
With the economic impact of the pandemic every industry is going through its challenges. Currently, the marketing and advertising industry is no different. As business owners we all have had to tighten our belts. My experience in the short time I’ve been in this industry is that the successful businesses haven’t stopped advertising, they have become more strategic on where and how they advertise.
What tips will you give entrepreneurs in this industry?
I’m still learning new things every day; I still have a lot more to learn than what I already know in this industry. Having said that I’d say, get to know your customer and make it your business to understand their business and the challenges they face every day. Be authentic and listen to what they have to say. Be consistent in the level of service and quality of product you provide them, day in and day out.