Let me tell you something about Lake Charles, Lousiana…

It’s a wonderful place to live, a great place to raise children and an amazing cultural experience.

Let me tell you something else about Lake Charles, Louisiana…

You really have to understand how Lake Charles works to be able to run a successful business here.

Not only does Lake Charles care what you KNOW but they ALSO want to know how much you CARE. Of course, Lake Charles also wants to know WHO you know…lol 

More than anything though, Lake Charles wants to know WHY they should care…

That sounds a little harsh and I don’t mean it to sound negative because it’s not. Like I said, if you know how this town works then it’s relatively easy to gain traction for your business.

We lived in Houston for almost 7 years and it’s different there, more transactional. No-one cares who you are or where you come from. Here in the LC, it’s slower, things run deeper, people care…

YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR STORY.

You have to start from the beginning and tell people WHY…

Tell them WHY you started this business. Why you didn’t just go work at the plants or at Walmart. You have to tell them what you know and how you came to know it. Tell them your history, warts and all. Tell them what you do for people and why you do it that way.

Most importantly, tell them your vision for the future, tell them where you’re heading and tell them why they should care.

Write articles, take photos, shoot short videos. BTW, humans are visual creatures so “telling” really means “showing”.

If you have the budget; TV, Billboard and Print work great. If not, go all in on Social Media. Have a personal Facebook profile AND a business page, a LinkedIn profile for business contacts and use a linkedin lead generation  to increase your business, a Twitter and Instagram account for text and photo updates respectively.

Document your journey, tell your story but more than anything, don’t be afraid to be real.