Last fall, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of Ichabod's Apothecary in the small, rural town of Delavan, Illinois, population 1,700. When I first met the owner, Tommie Chadwick, and she shared her vision, I’ll admit—I was a bit skeptical. Could an herbal apothecary really succeed in such a small, rural community?
To find out, we encouraged Tommie to start where we start all our entrepreneurs - Customer Development.
One of our mantras is: "A great idea is a great business idea only if someone is willing to pay for it." That’s why at SmartStart, we prioritize customer development. It’s all about identifying and getting to know your ideal customer, understanding their pain points, and providing exactly what they need to solve those problems
Customer Development helps you determine if you have paying customers before you spend a bunch of money or even open the doors!
Putting Customer Development Into Practice
During the months leading up to her grand opening, Tommie dove into customer development. She spent time getting to know her ideal customers—how far they’d travel, what they wanted, what they needed, and most importantly, what they’d be willing to pay. Tommie even had people “vote with their dollars” by offering Intro to Herbalism classes several times a week in the Main Street storefront that would eventually become Ichabod's Apothecary.
In those classes, she paid attention to her customers, to what worked, and what didn’t. Tommie used the money earned from those classes to reinvest back into her business. By the time she officially opened the doors to her newly renovated and fully stocked shop, she had only invested a few hundred dollars of her own money.
Building A Customer-Centered Business
Tommie didn't just open a business and pray it would succeed. She built a community, a culture, and a demand for her products and services long before the grand opening. This is how sustainable businesses are created.
Sure, she laid the groundwork—she chose the right legal structure, got the necessary insurance, permits, and licenses, set up bookkeeping, and invested in the right software to run her business. But none of that would have mattered if she hadn’t taken the time—over a year—to learn whether her great idea was truly a great business idea.
When she opened the doors, she already had paying, repeat customers. In the last few months, Ichabod's Apothecary has grown by adding more classes and partnering with other local businesses.
Tommie’s story is a perfect example of how careful customer development can turn a dream into a thriving business. So many businesses fail because they skip this vital step.
Need help guiding people in building sustainable, customer-focused businesses? The first module of our SmartStart Dashboard is Customer Development. It contains tool kits that walk entrepreneurs through the process. Let’s chat about how we can bring SmartStart to your community!
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