“I've discovered that we can't do it alone. The solopreneur - it's not a real thing - and it's not what we should aspire to be.” *
-Diana Abreu
In the world of entrepreneurship, resilience and adaptability are key. Meet Diana Abreu, a determined gift shop owner, who is reinventing her brand identity and business vision due to a recent lease extension.
Diana describes her downtown Durham storefront as a” gift shop that offers a curated selection of unique items, handpicked with intention and care”. Currently, Diana was offered the opportunity to extend the lease of her storefront, and she realized it was the perfect opportunity to revisit her business vision, mission, and strategy.
She hired a business coach and took time during this inflection point to gather valuable data to make informed strategic decisions about “what’s next” for her business. Diana wants to adapt her business to the changing economy to sustain her gift shop business.
One of Diana’s major rebranding goals is niching down. She plans to achieve that by “going back to hosting jewelry making classes… and servicing to a specific client persona”.
One of the issues Diana emphasized is the need to attract more local foot traffic versus tourist traffic. More local customers will mean more reoccurring visits to her shop.
Thankfully, during Center Fest, Durham’s signature art festival that took place in January, there was a mix of both kinds of traffic to Diana’s shop.,” I definitely think Center Fest was a huge success”, she shares.
Diana’s participation in this festival resulted in an increase in sales, increase in customer retention and a lot of “ I didn't know this was here” stances.
Brand awareness strategies are critical for Diana to increase local foot traffic and increase reoccurring revenue. Radius targeting is another strategy that Diana seeks to implement to increase brand awareness and sales during the holiday season. She specifically plans to “focus on advertising to the people who live downtown”.
She is also committed and excited to relaunch her new vision of her gift shop soon.
In her entrepreneurial journey, Diana has found that solo-entrepreneurship is a failing mindset. ****
Diana emphasizes the importance of,” leaning onto other entrepreneurs and likeminded individuals, to then create a web of people that you can bounce ideas off of because having friends and family isn't the same thing as having, like, other entrepreneur friends”!
echo plays a major role in supporting local entrepreneurs like Diana to succeed**. Diana** found value from participating in all of echo’s various entrepreneurship programs.
echo's new approach focused on, “entrepreneurs building entrepreneurs (ebe),” is designed to provide business owners with the support they need to succeed from the people that are most experienced to offer guidance - fellow entrepreneurs.
More broadly, this approach will foster a community of mutual growth and success.
Diana agrees with the importance of ebe, “This is the kind of support all entrepreneurs need because you're talking to another small business.”
“You're not talking to an agency, or a corporation. So, it is more confidential, and personal as they can empathize with you”.
At echo, we are committed to transforming lives through the power of entrepreneurship. As a participant in echo’s adult programming, Diana was able to grow her business and bring her big ideas to life.
By contributing to echo, you can empower us to continue providing essential resources for entrepreneurs like Diana. Together, we can make a difference in our local community and beyond. Consider giving a gift to echo today.
All quotations in this article are pulled from a Zoom interview between Diana Abreu and the author on November 6th, 2024.
Author’s Note:
Ihsan Mohammed is a passionate storyteller and a valued member of echo's marketing team. Currently a junior at Meredith College, she is majoring in interior design with a minor in marketing. Ihsan's professional writing journey began in her senior year of high school when she participated in echo’s teen program, Shiboka 1st Edition. This experience led her to write the articles "They Stole Our Jobs" and "Success in Business," as well as the poem "When the Sun Rises." When she's not designing or working, Ihsan enjoys spending time with her family, sculpting, and exploring nature.
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