Red Rodriguez

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A personal touch can go a long way toward making your customers happy. As their business grows, it’s all too easy for business owners to get swept up in the numbers and forget that there are real people behind their profits. If they want to continue to succeed, it’s key that they make their customers feel valued and that they truly care about them and their experience with the brand.  There are a multitude of ways to do this, from simply listening to customer feedback to providing excellent customer service, but it’s often a combination of methods that makes the biggest difference in how customers feel. Below, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council draw on their experiences working with customers to offer up seven of the top ways businesses can make customers feel valued and ensure they return to your business again and again.

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Introverts bring a unique set of skills to the table that other leaders may not possess. When frequent networking, public speaking and an outgoing personality are so often praised as necessary for effective leadership, it can be difficult for introverts to see themselves running a business. But extroverts aren’t the only ones who have great ideas to share with the world, and it’s just as important for introverts to have their voices heard in the business space. By honoring their strengths — like listening and empathy — introverts can not only be effective leaders but great ones as well. Below, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best tips to introverts looking to lead a successful business in the culture space and explain why they can do it just as well as anyone else can.

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When making this decision, put your customers first and foremost. Trends come and pass, with customers eventually losing interest or forgetting why a particular thing was popular in the first place. Your business, however, should have true staying power. Regardless of the time or place, customers should want to continue buying your products or services because of the distinct value they provide — not because you participated in a trend. But trends can also have their place, providing business leaders with the opportunity to reach new audiences and freshen up their marketing. That said, how is a business leader to know when it’s appropriate to hop on a trend and when it’s not? To shed some light, top business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their perspective on the issue, each discussing one tip they’d offer fellow business leaders for how to determine whether a trend will benefit your business or detract from it.

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To appeal to your customers, you have to speak their language. Nothing is more powerful in communicating your brand’s purpose, mission and vision than your brand’s voice. What you say and how you say it is paramount to how people view your brand and choose whether or not they would like to become a customer. This means if your brand’s voice and messaging aren’t resonating with your audience, you may not be bringing in the amount of sales you need to sustainably grow your business. To ensure you’re not missing the mark, consider the following advice from the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Here, they offer their top tips for sharpening your brand’s voice and communicating with customers in a way that they will identify with and appreciate.

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Succeeding in the culture space often comes down to “who you know.” Whether you’re looking to get your business off the ground or are ready to expand your company’s reach to new audiences, knowing the right people can often be what determines your success. When one person could introduce you to 10 more people and then 20 more after that, or come up with an idea that could bring your product to the next level of innovation, making the right connections becomes of the utmost importance. But when it comes to “who you know,” a little intentionality can make the process of building your network that much simpler. To help, seven Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders offer their insights on the key to making the right business connections in the culture space and the impact doing so has on your eventual success in your industry.

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Ensure the success of your startup by following these 12 tips to build the best possible team through effective hiring practices. Building a successful startup requires assembling a team of talented individuals who can contribute to its growth and navigate the challenges of the early stages. However, hiring the right people for a startup can be a daunting task. It requires a strategic approach to identify individuals who not only possess the necessary skills but also align with the company's vision and culture. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members shared some essential tips for bringing on the right people to help grow a startup in its early stages. These insights will empower entrepreneurs to make informed hiring decisions that lay a solid foundation for long-term success.