an orlando comic bookstore, appears to a new crowd by doubling as a nightclub. a vegas entrepreneur cashes in on clubbers with a mobile hangover treatment company. plus, how to make effective videos to promote your small business. all that and more coming up next on "your business." small businesses are revital rising the economy. and america express open is here to help.

we're proud to present "your business" on msnbc. ♪ hi everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg. and welcome to "your business." it can be frustrating if you have a product that you know a lot of people would love, if you could just get it in their hands. the owner of abn orlando comic bookstore was in that position. so, he came up with a new way to get comics to his audience. >> are you ready for nerd karaoke? >> it's friday karaoke night. and as always it's a packed house. ♪ don't believe it

just watch ♪ ♪ work that body ♪ >> customers are belting out the latest hits buying a beer and buying comics. yep, buying comics. this is the brian child of aaron, who opened a comic shop in 2006. >> i saw a record store going out of location. and i wanted to put a comic store here. >> comic shops have suffered from stereo types that shows like "the big bang theory" and "the simpsons" has enforced. >> to say i don't like comics. that's saying i don't like books, i don't like music, i don't like tv. i realize there was a stumbling block that was for children or for people that obsess over them.

>> instead of selling limited edition, a comic stop stocks only new affordable comics. >> this is what comic book artists and writers are working on right now. and share the love of the comic book medium as entertainment and not as collectibles week in and week out. >> the goal to make comic book reading approachable for a whole new set of consumers. at the beginning, it meant talking to anyone who would listen. and offering free comics to first-timers. zpr we were nonstop trying to get people in here. >> and that soon evolved into holding regular social events. aaron felt confident if he could just get people to come in he could connect them to a series they would love. and they would become repeat customers. >> with a comic book it's just you and the page. i wanted to do things that got people to come together and enjoy comic books together. twice a month, we would have a

party, with a keg of free beer. a comic book artist or writer. with that, why not have it every weekend? why not have it every day? why not have it where we can monetize having people hang out here. >> an idea was planted for a more official hangout spot. >> there was a space available in this strip mall. but it was an odd shape. and i made a joke saying we could make it a speak easy and call it the geek easy. and we need to do that. well, we could have a bar and make it a geek-themed bar. like a sports bar without the sports. >> in 2014 the geek easy opened for business. it became headquarters for regular readers looking for a place tone joy their favorite series. find out about new ones and make friends. >> i have a social atmosphere where i could meet all of the folks i didn't think would talk to me before. and we have a common ground. it starts like did you read the

latest issue? and it just sprawls out from there. when are you going on stage? let's buy a round. it's amazing. >> weekly trivia and karaoke nights bring in locals looking for a good time. >> it brings people into this comic shop that would never set foot in a comic shop. they have to walk through the comic shop to get into the geek easy. having the geek easy has introduced people to comic books in a way that is comfortable and inviting. and kind of just chill. just, i'm coming in for my reasons of hanging out with my friend and having a beer. and i see this comic i heard about or this character i heard about from something else whether it's a video game or a movie, and a i check it out. >> and they keep coming back. often with friends in tow. >> when i talk about the geek easy, i tend to say, you should

come with me. and a lot of people are like oh, you know? i'll give it a shot. they say, this place is so awesome. why didn't you bring me here before? >> the events the geek easy hosts are just as diverse as the crowds they attract. anything with a fan base is welcome. >> we have a stage. why not have local bands play? and then, it got to open mic and comedy nights. and plays. i'm open to anything that people want to do in here that has fans. and the people are nice and friendly. and are at least interested in comics in a passive way. >> as a comic shop and the geek easy continue to expand and diversify the customer bases, aaron says where the business could go is to infinity and beyond. >> i always said there's a comic for everyone.

even marvel/d.c., doing more comics for women, more diversity. and i don't think it's going to stop. that's where i want to see growth. not necessarily expanding my empire, but expanding the people that are enjoying comics. >> some of the speak easy patrons might need the services of dr. jason burke. he founded a mobile hangover treatment facility that saw 40% increase in revenue last year. the company hopes to grow more this year, with services in hotel rooms. ♪ las vegas. a typical saturday night. >> cheers. >> this is a ritual played out across the city day after day. but partying this hard comes with consequences.

>> aye got kind of a headache. a little queasiness. nothing -- that's about it. just kind of like -- >> i'm a little hungover. >> many have searched for the miracle hangover cure. a greasy breakfast, a trip back to the bar. dr. jason burke found one that works. >> i thought the same medications i'm using in the recovery room might work well for a hangover. >> he's made a business out of his idea, called hangover heaven. a board-certified anesthesiologist with a medical degree from university of north carolina promises in about 45 minutes he can treat all hangover systems. >> nurses physicians paramedics firefighters have been using hydration for

decades. i've taken it to the next level, adding in the vitamins the anti-nausea and the anti-inflammatories to deal with a las vegas-level hangover. >> dr. burke knew not only did he have to cure a hangover he had to make it convenient. so, he renovated an old gospel tour bus into a mobile treatment facility. and hit the strip. the hangover heaven bus will make stops to pick up people and treat them on-site. the company found the demand for one bus was too much to handle. they also opened a clinic on the strip. clients can opt for in-room treatments. >> your body starts feeling better. and once you get up it's like wow. it does. i feel great. >> it was worth it. >> i feel like i did when i got off the plane to come to vegas.

>> every patient is asked to post their experiences on the internet. dr. burke also created the hangover research institute to gather scientific evidence to back his claims. >> we started collecting hangover scores as part of our quality control. and it's to the point where, i think it's necessary to publish some of that data. >> and they expanded the business to attract the athletes and health-conscious, through their i.v. vitamin line. patients can come in before a big race or before going out for the night, and get an i.v. to help their condition. >> hangover heaven works well in a tourist area. but a professional place like new york or boston, a vita-heaven may be a better entity. >> for everybody that's had a pounding headache disappear, there's been other people calling foul. >> does a hangover need to be

treated? i would beg to differ. these people are miserable. they need something to get them to feel better. >> even though they stay playful with their marketing, dr. burke is the first to stress at the end of the day, they take people's health seriously. that includes not just treating anyone who calls. >> this is a professional medical practice. we take a medal history, vital science and informed consent. you can't get informed consent from somebody that's intoxicated, be it on alcohol or another drug. i'm not going to rigging the business if there's one or two people in a should be treated. we had people call up from the bar, i'm drunk, can you pick me up? you need to sleep it off. most people sleep it off and call us later. and we take care of it. >> they're still in vegas, after all. when it's handled correctly,

public relations can help your small business capture lots of attention. if you're reckless with the media, you're going to find yourself wishing you set up a game plan. here's five ways you can sharpen your p.r. courtesy of smartceo.com. journalists value their job as independent observers. and resent companies that try to influence them. pitch with their goals in mind. two, don't go to the press too early. have your release reviewed by co-workers to make sure it's news-worthy and that the information will benefit the editor's target audience of readers. three, develop long-term relationships. p.r. is a process, not an event. you have to be patient and willing to consistently deliver reader valuable messages that make your business an asset to the media. four, be honest about bad news. in a negative situation, a company's character and style will greatly influence how the

press perceive and writes about it. and, five use your top management. nothing helps gain coverage than making your ceo available for interviews. when you think of creating videos for your business do not get overwhelmed with the idea of creating something perfect and expensive. there's many things you can do on your cell phone or tablet. >> i'm matt tom. you may have heard of me as the effective detective. or seen some of my videos. i help business owners like you. >> that's an example of one that's like a commercial. but all kinds of things you can do. ruth sherman is president of ruth sherman associates a strategic consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs develop compelling contact. she's here to give us tips on creating useful videos. so good to see you, ruth.

>> great to be with you, j.j. >> i think people need to understand, it doesn't need to be perfect and beautiful. but it needs to be compelling. >> we say that perfection is the enemy of getting it done right? >> yes. >> we all have these video paraphernalia at our fingertips. we have the phone. the smartphones, ipads and tablets. we have computers. >> i need to want to watch this right? i can't take out my phone and start videoing me. it has to be something that people want to see. >> it depends. what we were just watching is matt tomsho. he is a coach. he helps people find out who their customers are and goes into the data and sells better stuff to their customers. >> in his case it makes sense to show him because what he is selling is himself. >> that's right. >> let's look at a video where somebody is using it in a retail store. >> cool. >> can you imagine that this could become this?

hi. i'm ann greenberg, founder of the underground chic. a collection of stylish and eco-friendly handbags. they are made from recycled bat bottles. >> she is a manufacturer and designer of the eco-friendly handbags. she takes them to boutiques or to shows. >> how does she get people to watch the video? >> she has the video playing at these shows. and she has it on the website. it's important if you're an entrepreneur, to be able to shoot a video that shows your stuff. you think about handbags. it it's hard to get the feel of them from photos. but a video enables her to show what they're made of and talk a little bit about how valuable they would be to somebody. >> i look at something like that and it's interesting. it tells her story. but it didn't grab me in the way

that would make me keep watching it. if i'm doing a deal with her or waiting for her at her booth, i would sit around and watch that and it's compelling right? >> absolutely. the thing to remember is she is not out there speaking. this is a way for people getting a feel for who she is and what she does and her personality. how do i relate to my customers so they like me? >> let's look at one other video you brought. someone from professional services. >> welcome. today, i'm going to address a question so many ceos have asked me recently. and that is what should a ceo be doing on the financial side of business? the now this, is a very good question because there are numerous functions and duties on the financial side. >> what's the purpose of this video? how do you use it? >> what barbara's doing, she's doing a training video. giving information. now, it's an interesting thing because training videos don't have to be long. they can be five minutes each. and that's what she did.

this is one of three training videos that barbara shot because her job, she's a former partner in a big new york city law firm and a finance partner. show she helps businesses get funded whether that's at a bank or an angel investor which she is. or v.c. >> giving them a little tease. here's content. this is what i'm doing. i'm giving this for free. come in and hire me. >> correct. if you want to work with me. >> ruth, thanks for coming in and bringing the examples. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure, j.j. thank you. online video is one tool that entrepreneurs can use to boost their businesses. let's get more suggestions from our viewers on what tools and apps they use to run their small companies. >> we use snap seed. it's a digital editing app. we use it to edit our photos before we post them to any

digital platform. >> one website we use is shippingeasy.com. we ship using the united states postal service. also u.p.s. and fedex. we find that it's one click. we can print a shipping label. it talks to the back end of our store. it has saved us so much time. >> we use taxjar to track and manage our online sales tax responsibilities. as online sellers we collect sales tax to many jurisdictions. taxjar will track all of our sales tax collected. they will even file the sales tax reports. >> i use the app zite. it takes the blog articles and puts them in place based on the interest. it's a great place for me to find content.

i'm in craft and dyi. i can look at craft and dyi. and it will give me unique content that everybody in my sphere isn't already sharing. i can share that on social media. i can get inspired and keep up to date with news. >> one wonderful app i rely on that i use on my tablet is hourstracker. it allows me to categorize for all of the jobs i do for my customers and keep track of the time i spend on each job they give me. and i can add details on what i did, each project. i can tell my customers what i did, how i did it and how long it took. there's more advise ahead. the most important traits for new hires. and how to determine if a customer isn't a right fit for our business.

american express for travel and entertainment worldwide. just show them this - the american express card. don't leave home without it! and someday, i may even use it on the moon. it's a marvelous thing! oh! haha! so you can replace plane tickets, traveler's cheques, a lost card. really? that worked? american express' timeless safety and security are now available on apple pay. the next evolution of membership is here. today's #yourbizselfie comes from matt hampson, who works with a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs. send us a selfie of you and your business. you can e-mail it to "your

business." or tweet us. and use #yourbizselfie. it's time to answer some of your business questions. let's get the board of directors in here. leo is the director of a consulting firm. and author of the new book "exceptionalize it." and the founder and president of pie pices, a group that makes boots that go over shoes to protect against the elements. a bunch of years in. and your eyes roll back. you need to keep that excitement. >> absolutely. >> let's get to the first question. it's about hiring. >> i have a question about staffing. does one focus on skills or

customer service? >> that's a great question. i'm going to start with you, leo. >> for me that's an amazing one. you can't train a potato to become a carrot. for me attitude comes first. there's a story about a bank in the u.k. that focused on hiring social workers and nurses. not bankers. banking, we can teach them. but attitude loving people caring for people wanting to help people, you can't teach that. >> what do you think? >> i agree. i think it's important to realize that both are consider important. if you don't focus on customer service, respect your customers, keep them wanting to come back you're not going to have a business. so it's paramount to make sure that they're both equally important. >> got it. i think it's true also. when we hire we hire for cultural fit. right? and that's probably the most important. you have to have a base of skills. but you need to have a good cultural fit. and you need to be curious. and especially as a small

company that's growing, you need to be flexible. the job you have today may not be the one you have three months from now. >> you don't know when that employ is going to be the customer. they might be facing a customer who came late and the store is closed. they need to have the same attitude and values that you want to exude to your customers. as far as we're concerned, everyone is in the customer service business. >> okay. move on to the next question about your ideal client. >> just because a customer is paying doesn't always mean that they're the right customer. how do i pick the right customer for my business? >> it's interesting. we have someone who comes on the show, who gave us a tip about this. at the end of every year rate your customers, a, b, c and get rid of the "c" customers. they're probably taking your time. >> i think it's important to

stay keenly focused on what are the long-term goals of your business? review your business plan and make sure you're where you want to be. and be focused on who your customers are. list them rate them. survey them. maybe getting on the phone and talking to them or doing a survey. figure out which customers are best servicing those long-term goals of your business. and then do more of you know the messaging, the marketing, that attracted those best customers for you. >> it's hard to fire a customer though. you're growing a business. it's money in hand. >> it is. and this is a critical piece here. you need to first come with the mentality that you understand that not every customer is a good customer. we need to get rid of the cliches. some customers are wrong. what are the definitions? beware of the customers that are coming for the discount that don't appreciate you at full

price. they will have expectations that won't be profitable for you. some will ask you to do things that are not within your core competence or future growth. those are probably not going to be the long-term customers. you might as well send them to the competition. and another area are unforgiving customers. customers that will never be happy. you made a mistake. they will remember it for a long time. if they can't find a win-win environment, they belong somewhere else. you have to be conscientious of the criteria. what makes them a good customer for you? and the rule of them not about market share, about bottom line. are they profitable on their own? not as part of a pool of customers? >> right. >> that should guide every business owner. as much as it's money in our pocket, we can't afford to lose money because somebody is putting resources in the wrong direction. >> that's a good point. sometimes the people that don't make a profit take up our time.

>> we need to be looking at what is the right customer. most don't sit down this is my ideal customer. >> let's move on to the last one. a question about your social strategy. >> do you have a solution for core social media management. you don't have time to manage it yourself. and you need to automate it. but the foundation of social media success is about relationship building. i'll start with you. you deal with social media. >> yeah. i'm actually a little scared of the word automy. i don't know what he means by that. i would be wary of automating it where you have no input. i think social media is the voice of your brand. >> i think he means scheduling things. >> that. and that you know you can do. as long as it's authentic and it can be the voice of your brand. if time management is an issue, consider doing less platforms of social media.

facebook has been really successful for us. and it's -- sometimes i wonder if we started with facebook from the beginning and focus only on that one. then, you can do it best. >> and you can automate right? and add to it during the day. >> i automate. i actually dedicate a time in the month, where i'm thinking about what do i want to tell to my audience? and i'm trying to humanize it. it's the brand. i'm trying to speak for myself build up -- i'll dedicate two hours a month. these are my core messages. this is what i want to say to them. i'm thinking about -- the timing becomes less relevant than my team can go on automate it and put it out there when it's out there. but it's my voice. don't automate -- or don't outsource your authentic voice. the distribution can be automated. >> what tool do you use? >> i don't --

>> that's your team. >> i would be calling someone on your team. you write it down. they put it out. >> i don't take questions. i make sure i personally focus on what is my message? and humanize it. that's the key for me. don't make it sound commercial. >> that's the interesting thing. a lot of people want to hire outside companies, interns. that's okay. but it has to be your voice. >> don't automate the content. make sure you're behind the content creation. or making sure that outside entity really knows your business as on insider. >> thank you, guys. good to see you both. thanks for coming on. giving your advice. thanks everyone, for joining us today. if you want to see the show again, we put it up on the website, openforum.com/yourbusiness. we have great tips on how to grow your business. you can follow us on twitter. and we are on facebook and

instagram, as well. next week what's your relationship like with your would-be competition? we introduce you to one entrepreneur who believes collaborating is actually better than competing. >> even when we've talked with our friends or family about it like you work together with your competitor? and yeah. the answer is yes, we do. >> we'll tell you why you might want to give your competition a second look if you have things like customers and products in common. until then, i'm j.j. ramberg. remember, we make your business, our business. american express for travel and entertainment worldwide. just show them this - the american express card. don't leave home without it! and someday, i may even use it on the moon. it's a marvelous thing! oh! haha! so you can replace plane tickets, traveler's cheques, a lost card. really? that worked?

american express' timeless safety and security are now available on apple pay. the next evolution of membership is here. >> we're going to start off in a really happy place. because i not only want you to have a good friday night, i want you to have a good weekend. and i think this is so good it's goodness will carry you right through tonight. and tomorrow and the next day. if you are a dog person and you are a person who uses the internet machine there is a pretty good chance that you some time in the last couple years have had great joy thanks to dog shaming.com. this one on your screen now, i practiced, i tried it. i will be unable to read it out loud. this is basically the epitome