members of congress return to washington briefly, but are about to head out to campaign for midterm elections. we'll tell you why they need the votes of small businesses. and the owner of a los angeles retail store builds a brand that goes well beyond their products. we have that and more coming up next on "your business." ♪ small businesses are revitalizing the economy and american express open is here to help.

that's why we're proud to present "your business" on msnbc. ♪ hi, there, everyone, i'm jj ramberg and welcome to "your business" summer is over and it's back to work for helps of congress but not for long. it's washington politics as usual as law makers quickly try to take care of urgent business so they can get back on the campaign trail for the crucial mid-term elections taking place in november. one constituency that both incumbents and challengers should fiercely be courting are millions of small business owners. j.d. harrison covers start-up and small businesses and entrepreneurship for the "washington post" with a focus on public policy, great to

see you. >> thanks for having me, j.j. what's interesting to this to me is a lot of politicians talked about small business, doing stuff for small business, when i go around the country and ask small business owners do you feel like anyone in washington is looking out for you, nine times out of ten they say no. >> that's right. maybe even more than nine times out of ten. we looked at recent polling recently by the national small business association, and their numbers have it at 7% of small business owners that apro of the job that their lawmakers, their representatives here in washington are doing for them. and that obviously has to make some of the incumbents a little bit nervous heading into these midterm elections. >> okay, why do small business owners count? they don't vote as a block. why should these politics be focusing on small business owners? you say number one they vote. >> absolutely. if you look at the numbers, just for americans in general,

most estimates have it at about 75% are registered to vote and about 50% actually will pull a lever on election day. and we're comparing polls here a little bit, so you have to be careful, but that nsba study showed that 97% of their small business network across the country is registered to vote and 97% of those folks actually will cast a ballot. >> wow. >> so you multiply that by 28 million small business owners across the country, you start to get a big active voting block. >> you're talking they could be swayed so a lot of small business owners at least as you've seen are not one side or the other? >> if you look at small business owners in that nsba poll, we see that only 17% vote right down the party and 50% of both democrats and republicans actually say they vote occasionally for members of the other party. so, there's some votes to be

courted there that aren't necessarily set in stone heading into november. >> wow. interesting. and they're influencers too. >> that's right. this is anecdotal. it's a little harder to track the numbers here. but i have talked to small business owners and i've seen other reports that the new campaign contribution, if you will, is that i will get my employees, i will try to encourage them, to vote for the candidate that i want. so that, all of a sudden, if you can get that small business owner on your side, maybe you get a handful of extra votes coming from their employees, too. >> and then they donate at a higher percentage than the rest of america? >> you really only have a small fraction of americans, by most estimates, that will donate to an individual's campaign. when you look at small business owners, it's at 69%. that's a lot of money flowing from main street to these individual campaigns. >> well, j.d., this is great. a good reminder to politicians

that they should be paying attention to small business owners, that there's some potential there. and don't just talk about it, but actually do something. >> that's right. hopefully not so much just rhetoric anymore. >> great to see you. one of the hardest parts about being a small retailer today is it's really simple to click and buy most everything online. how do you get customers to your store? one couple in los angeles has figured it out. not only do they sell things you can't find anywhere else, but they've turned their location into a destination, a place to go than do much more than just buy their products. ♪ >> when ted and angie created a small collection of vinyl wallets on a whim, they never imagined that their passion project would lead into a leading lifestyle brand known throughout the world.

back in 2003, the husband and wife team became known for organizing hip little art shows in their down time. >> we always believed in the idea of accessible wall art. >> the stylish duo loved exposing their inner circle to the emerging talent around them. >> none of the artwork was selling, because none of us could afford it because we're all poor. we thought why not make something that's really affordable that everyone needs. >> ted and angie collaborated with a handful of local artists to design a line of limited edition wallets to sell at one of their events. >> people loved what we were doing. the wallets sold out that night. >> people were saying, it's awesome. >> we walked home that night. it was like butterflies in our stomach, that's amazing, let's do another series of wallets. let's work with some more artists to do this. >> with their art for your every day motto at the core, they launched an online retail destination that sells both their original creations and other design-driven pieces with similar aesthetic, all at affordable prices.

♪ >> it has always celebrated the visionaries behind the products. >> there was always a bio associated with the artist and give exposure to artists and designers that wouldn't ordinarily get exposure. it really adds another whole life of what you're bringing home. >> over the last decade, the company has gone from an unplanned upstart to a booming business with a robust community of die-hard fans that grows by the day. big name brands like nike and target have also embraced poketo's flavorful flair seizing unique opportunities to partner up. >> i think the special thing about poketo is it was able to walk this line of being mainstream and niche. . day one, ted and angie have also understood the importance of creating memorable experiences for their customers. >> we always say it's not about the product but the experience.

>> from pop-up shops to art shows across the globe, their standout events allow the loyal following to engage with the brand. >> we never had a home for anything. >> so in 2012 they opened up keto's flagship gallery. the one of a kind brick and mortar houses a retail store, creative offices and transformative space dedicated to special events. >> we wanted this corner to be completely changing. whether it's an art show, book signing or workshop. >> last year, ted and angie staged their first workshop. >> we actually worked with a friend who makes mustard for a living. we were talking to him one day, and we're like, why don't you teach a workshop how to make condiments, and it totally sold out. people loved it. it smelled like garlic and mustard in here for days. >> from condiments to

calligraphy to flower arranging and social media for your business. poketo's workshops have become a celebrated staple for the brand. >> we're not here to just sell things but here to provide a whole different set of creative outlets. i think it's more exciting for people to come in to a space where it's actually creativity is happening, not just a store. >> recently, they hosted a looming event with a textile artist. >> i like to see when they have that aha moment when it clicks and they get it. i see when they're really inspired. >> i saw this workshop come up. i jumped on it right away. >> it was amazing to learn from her. >> we love the energy it creates. it's buzzing with positivity. people are just smiling. it permeates into the whole space. >> when a customer comes in and they see there's a fuller experience happening, it can become a memory, and an

education. it's a pretty unique situation. >> you can tell they're really passionate about the shop and the things that they do. >> ted and angie's ability to creatively and authentically connect with the community has taken poketo beyond their wildest dreams. they recently opened a second brick and mortar store, and they partnered with retail giant nordstroms, so people can get a real taste of what poketo is all about. >> the best compliment is when people write us and say, gosh, i'm so inspired what you do. really pushing me to do this or that. a really great thing to touch people in that way and really have that experience beyond, you know, just buying a product. ♪

being on the road, whether for work or fun, doesn't always mean you get a break from everything that needs to get done at the office, but there are a lot of distractions around when you're traveling. here now are five ways you can stay on track when you're on the road, courtesy of under 30 ceo.com. >> one, don't set a schedule. when you travel, you may need to be flexible. so a rigid timetable will set you up for disappointment. instead, set constraints like the number of hours you should work every day. two, have an accountability partner, someone who checks in with you daily to make sure you hit your target. three, be prepared. you never know when you'll have some down time to get into work, so carry your gear everywhere. four, work offline. don't prevent yourself from getting things done just because you don't have wi-fi. make a list of things you can do when you're not online and, five, work when others are

around. if you wait until you're completely alone, you'll never get anything done. so, get used to getting yourself in the zone even when you're surrounded by people. change it, and make it better. that is the goal of so many entrepreneurs as they tried to disrupt the industry and improve the user experience. in the past eight years eventbrite made event planning easy. it gives users a platform to organize, promote ticket events in one place. and this global brand altared the landscape for good. julia tells us what it takes to be a disrupter and why she leaves an innovator's job is never done. >> i think a disrupter is a person or a team of people, or a technology that changes the way in which we live. there's so much status quo out in the world. a disrupter looks at that and understands how it can be done

differently. if i had to boil it down to what defines a disrupter, it would be the fearlessness to do something that's never been done before and to fail. we're constantly doing things that are just on the brink of failure. or might be the worst idea ever. but when they do work, and very few of them are great successes, that's when true disruption can be possible. it's almost normal for eventbrite to go into a room. take a white board and redefine some sort of status quo or some sort of assumption, or the way everybody else is doing it. and that is natural behavior at a disrupter company. i call myself an unsuspecting entrepreneur, because i was never a kid with a lemonade stand. i was a ballerina, so i'm really good doing what i'm told and taking direction. basically i met a great

co-founder who is also my husband, kevin, and we paired up with a company and started to think about ways we could change the world using technology. so we were sitting at the intersection of technology and live experiences and we're wondering how we can bring the two together and we thought, how can we make ticketing a better experience. that was our first disruptioning was to create an open platform that anyone could use to sell tickets. eventbrite changed the landscape by making it possible for hundreds of thousands of event organizers all over the world to create these live experiences. we've taken a human approach to customer service an we've scaled that. >> what people don't know, actually we disrupted our serves way back when. we decided that we were going to charge a ticket fee for paid tickets but we didn't think what would happen if someone entered zero in the ticket fee box.

we realized we weren't charging any fees for free events. we thought at the very least this would give us a competitive advantage. it is possible to continue to disrupt. we don't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. we have so much more work to do. the little secret about disruption, you don't have to be disrupting others, or disrupting an industry. you think of ways to disrupt your own way of doing things and how you exist and that's where the real fun starts. i think one of the most exciting things that has happened this year is disrupting the reserve seating market. we never actively ticketed a reserve seating event. it was extremely exciting for the company. a small group of people in eventbrite got together to build this product in a short period of time. we've been inspired by other disrupters in the past. salesforce or amazon, when

you think about how crazy people thought they were in the beginning to have such a grand vision. what is exciting about being a disrupter when you can step back and say, wow, we've created something really massive here. sites like eventbrite can help small businesses grow and run their operations in a cost effective way, with so many out there, which ones are worth trying out. we ask small business owners like you, what tools they use. >> i have an app that i love and use all of the time. it's called humano. you can listen to articles from sites like "forbes." it keeps me inspired. >> one app i like to use is called tube tool box. it has youtube videos. >> a lost us go networking but we don't always follow up. send one simple e-mail, it will go in to contactually. and then it will second you a reminder saying you have to call jane in ten days.

it will do that every ten to 15 days. it's an excellent app. >> i am using d2, which is a document writer in my iphone, what is amazing, i travel for a living. so i'm on the plane all of the time. i've been able to actually write articles on my little cell phone and get them up and in, getting two or three of them taken care of while i'm on a plane. >> the app i like a lot is onenote. i use it to take handwritten notes, record audio and take pictures. it also syncs up all the information with my team which makes it super easy to coordinate. it's free on phones and syncs up with the app they have for most computers. >> one app we use in our business is called slide shark.

all this really does is it takes a powerpoint, so we're taking microsoft products and putting them on an ipad. it doesn't lose any of the functionality of the original power point which is unique. you can cruise it on your tablet and phone, have your presentations everywhere, you know they will always function how you want them to. >> when we come back, how do you know your business will be attractive to a venture capitalist? and small businesses who are finding that using the honor system is paying off with their customers. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions.

if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. retail is detail. 90% of secrets of retail are at the front door. if you walk in the front door, you see what's going on. that's the presentation. what's interesting, is to contrast your view from the cash register looking out, as opposed to the front door looking in. do you trust your customers? last year, as part of our makeover of hurricane-damaged surf side bagels in rockaway, new york, we helped implement an

honor system where customers pour their own coffee and leave their payment. since then, many small businesses are discovering the merits of trusting their customers. nbc's jenna wolfe has more. >> there's a small coffee shop in a small town in north dakota where the coffee is self-serve, and so is the bill. >> if you want something, you help yourself and you pay. >> with no one behind the counter, customers pay on the good old-fashioned honor system. >> the business plan just makes sense. turns out people have been more generous and we've been consistently 15% over asking prices. >> we have the little voice inside our head the angel on one shoulder telling us to do the right thing. >> reporter: the honor system isn't new to retail. farm stands across the country have been using it for years. >> what's the catch? i get that a lot, what's the catch? there is no catch. for us it's a matter of convenience for us, as well as our customers. >> reporter: circle s farms in tennessee never closes. the self-serve stand has had an

honor box set up for 12 years now. for the most part, everyone pays. >> i know it sounds strange in today's modern world. we found there are still a lot of good people out there. >> there is honesty and then there's honesty. this 90-year-old has been running a self service stand for decades. she's all about the honor system. when asked about her surveillance camera we found, her answer was quite telling. >> fake. >> reporter: obviously, honesty is the best policy. it is time now to answer some of your business questions. let's get our board of directors in here to help us out. brian cohen the chairman of new york angels which has invested more than $53 billion in early stage technology companies. >> steve strauss founder of self-employed.com. so good to see both of you guys. >> great to see you, j.j. >> the first question, finding funding. >> as a small business, a lot of us spend our time, you know,

boost dropping or getting lines of credit. at what point do you need to see a venture capitalist or how do you even know if you're qualified? >> perfect question for you, brian. >> two types of companies. you have to first ask yourself, where do you fit? angel investors, we look for fast-growth companies. sometimes people think we're philanthropists, but we're not. >> because of the word angel? >> angel enters into that conversation. when you're growing your business, money is a fundamental part of it. food strapping is good when you're developing your idea because you want to get greater value for your company when you go raise money. it's called valuation. >> not to mention you probably have to prove your concept if you ask anyone for money. >> some real angels like me love early. i love when you bleed. i want to know you before you prove your concept. i love that. that's the old line of angels.

new angels want you to prove something because risks are so high. when you're out there building your business, you come to a conclusion. i need money strategically to scale my business. i'm ready. that's when you go and look for the money. angels, the ones that want to help you are visible. go to the angel booths in your community. go to the angel capital association. really great angel investors want to be found. we don't hide. >> you bring up a good point, is it a lifestyle company or a fast-growing company? steve, you've written an entire book on how to find funding for your company. people should really be thinking beyond, those might not be appropriate. >> absolutely. it was called "get your business funded." what i learned when i wrote that book, jj, there's a spectrum when it comes to funding your business. there's bootstrapping, then maybe you have friends and

family and then you get into loans, sba loans, and then angel investing and adventure capitalists. it depends on the size of your company and where you are in your growth strategy. you don't want to go from microfinance and you go step-by-step through that process as you grow. as you grow, a lot of different options available to you. you don't have it go from one to the other. >> next up, a question about mobile engagement. what mobile conversion strategies are working the best? i'm getting a lot of traffic to my website that is mobile and the percentage is going up every month. >> i'll tell you my favorite mobile strategy right now. this came from a digital advertising executive that i was speaking with and i was talking about doing a text campaign or something like that with somebody and she said click to call is the best thing you can do if you have any kind of mobile strategy. so, if you think about someone who is on their mobile phone. they're probably ready to buy. they're someone different than at a desk top. if someone does a search on their mobile phone and half of all searches are done on mobile

phones. they're looking to buy something. if you advertise on mobile and on google, bing, whatever network online you want to use, and you do an ad, the click to call feature, someone is going to come to your add, if they search for your terms, and they're going to click because they are on a phone. far more likely than them surfing it your website. add simple thing called click to call and, bang, you'll be very happy. >> you know, brian, you have to be careful about creating a different experience on mobile than you do on the web. >> absolutely. steve, you're right, putting in the right buttons helps, but you have to start with metrics, analytics. there are tools. you can go to companies like analytics and flurry, they will insert into your app what's going on. they'll give you a dashboard and say where do they click and what do they do on your site, when

they left. and make it easy enough for people to get through it. simple is always better, but you're clear about mobile first. mobile has to be the first part of your entire equation because, as you said, almost everybody today is going to make the contact through a mobile device. >> let's move on to the last question. it's about generating leads. >> so in the day and age where we're digital and this is the space we exist in, what do you think of the old-fashioned style of lead generation? do you think there's still a place for it? >> old-fashioned style of lead generation. >> wow, leads. something like 60% of leads are never followed up on. i learned that the other day. they ask for them and they don't even check what the people want. i'm driven to shows and conferences, not all leads are created equal, right? you have limited time. you want to be smart, you want to be fast. go for the highest quality leads. i love events and the people are already curated.

that's where you're going to find the best leads. >> the digital leads are great. if someone likes your facebook page or follows you or reads your e-news letter. the problem with any of those, they're inherently impersonal. you're preaching to the choir. i agree. old-fashioned leads are great. you can go to networking events, meet ups are great and that one-to-one thing really makes a huge difference or my own prejudice at "usa today," i'm pitched all day long from pr companies who want me to write about their client. i'm sure, jj, you have the same thing as well. people want to be on your show. if you get someone to do a story about your business, that's independent third party verification that you have a great business and stick it on your website forever and you'll get a lot of leads if someone writes about you or does a spot about you. old-fashioned, yeah, that's good. >> brian and steve, so nice to see both of you guys. thank you for stopping by. >> pleasure. we're always finding helpful facts and tips on twitter and today we'd like to share some with you.

steve strauss's "usa today" colleague rhonda abrams has this, in the u.s., 40% of business prospects turn into sales with in-person interactions, but only 32% without. dave anderson tweets if you don't build enough value in you or your product to at least justify your price expect to get pete up on price every time. and your business panelist and business consultant michael port with good advice. a good presentation typically follows a three-act structure, set up, conflict, resolution. thanks so much for joining us today. it doesn't end here, though. head over to our website openforum.com/yourbusiness. you'll find all of today's segments plus web exclusive content with a lot more information to help your business grow. you can also follow us on twitter @msnbcyourbiz and find us on instagram, too.

next week, a creative book store owner desperate to come up with a fund community event for the busy summer season has a bright idea. >> and then i thought, well, everybody knows waldo. maybe we can do something with waldo, and then i thought scavenger. that could be fun. >> we'll see how finding waldo turned into a successful nationwide shop local campaign. i'm jj ramberg, remember, we make your business our business. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner.

we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american express open forum. this is what membership is. this is what membership does. the political process in one u.s. state today fell completely apart. and while all states are equally important at some level right now, this is a particularly important state and their democratic process today just went kersplat. in an unexpected way. we had been following the story for a few days, i guess for a couple of weeks now. as the story has been getting stranger and stranger, today, truly, it went off the rails in a way that nobody saw coming. here's the stage for what happened. his name is chris kobak. he's the secretary of state in kansas.