and add phone and tv for only $34.90 more a month. call today. comcast business. built for business. . good morning. coming up on msnbc's "your business," these collectible cards are on the road again thanks to a company that uses 3d printing to make discontinued parts. the digital disrupters behind home design on company culture and innovative thinking. plus what you need to know to sell more to your existing customers. get ready to turbo charge your business coming up next on "your business."

hi, everyone. i vintage cars getting an upgrade thanks to savvy business owners. we made a pit stop in harmony, pennsylvania, to find out how these baby boomers with the eye for the next big things have positioned themselves to be at the forefront of all things 3d printing in the car industry.

if you've got a car that needs some tender loving care, bill is your guy. his shop in harmony, pennsylvania, has become the place car aficionados refer to when they want to see their dreams come true. >> i always enjoy the challenge. >> also the place if you need special 3d car parts. what was that? yes, i said 3d printed. a self-proclaimed tech newb, are ambassadors of this new technology in automobile industry. >> i really wouldn't consider myself that technologically savvy. as far as cars go, yeah. just from the years i've learn from experiee and reading and tryi to t better at my trade, i've learned a lot about the technical aspects of automobiles.

as far as computers, just enough to get in trouble. >> a chance conversation with a client was the first spark. >> one of the customers told me about a program he saw on jay leno. jay leno had this plastic printer, the machine printed parts in plastic. that really wasn't going to get the job done. then we found out that you can do the parts in metal. >> we started thinking could we scan a part. if we could scan a part, could we have it 3d printed. >> in their line of work where half the battle is just finding the right parts for the job, it sounded too good to be are you. >> some cars are very rare, including one-of-a-kind. there are parts that are needed that you just simply cannot find. >> but 3d printing could change that. they decided to get he had indicated. >> there was a conference. we went down and started seeing all the different technologies

and seeing on display what some of this stuff could do. that got the appetite whet. later on a conference at penn state university and we attended that and listened to at loaf experts in the field. >> as they gathered more intel, they soon realized 3d printing wasn't some impossible concept to grasp. they didn't need to be experts in printing. being car experts was more than enough. >> you kind of think sometimes with some of these high-end technologies it's voodoo. the whole thing made sense. you know what, we actually know more about this than we thought we did. we know enough to start down the path of maybe actually turning this into a real business. >> they launched hv3d works in 2015. when clients are looking for a special part they can't find or doesn't exist, they come to these guys to do t job. >> there's more opportunities not just in restoration but in automotive customization, hot

rod building, a guy with a rat rod or something highly custom, a real showpiece. >> but don't expect to see any 3d printing machinery lined up at the shop. >> a machine that prints metal parts is hundreds of thousands of dollars and metal is only one part of what we need. rather than making that major investment right now at the early stages of this, we thought partnerships are the way to go. >> instead hv3d partners with companies like fresh made 3d, and x1 depending on the needs of the customer. it's a win-win. hv 3d can get parts they need in any material and the partners get the new business they didn't necessarily have access to before. >> these guys have helped us find new customers and i see more growing potential for reaching out and us providing them work and us providing them work. >> it's a game changer for

clients. when he was piecing together a one of a kind concept truck, it meant he didn't have to make any compromises to his original vision. >> the taillight bezels, which are not even available anymore. you can't even find them at swap meets or anything like that. we were able to find one that was salvageable enough to make a scan out of, and i couldn't be happier. >> he's happy the company can be the go between for him because he knows his baby is in good hands from beginning to end. >> they connect the dots. they fill in the blanks where you're not just going to mail an emblem somewhere across-country, this company knows what the end product is going to be. >> while the restoration business is generally committed to older, more affluent clients, hv3d works gives the company access t wider, younger audience. now anyone who needs a part anywhere in the world can be their customer with just a click of a button.

there have been some happy consequences to the exposure. >> the beautiful part is we get to introduce one to the other. we have had some crossover. we've had people that approached us about recreating a part for us that say, by the way, i have a car that i need to have paint work done or restoration work done. >> they say no matter what age you are or how long you've been in business, when it comes to technology, you can't stick your head in the ground. >> you need to just be aware of the surroundings, because otherwise you will get caught off-guard. there is rapid change coming. they have very real implications down the road to how you will do your business. your business is going to have to adapt and adopt along the way. >> no matter what changes technology may bring to the industry in the future, these guys are ready. >> learning never stops, even for old guys like us. >> ten years ago, they couldn't

find the right help when they started to remodel their 1950s ranch house. the project quickly turned into a nightmare. i'm sure a lot of you can relate. when they went online looking for resources, they were shocked. in a world they thought internet had an answer for everything they found nothing. they created house, 12 million drool worthy photos as well as connect to professionals that can do the work. now a company she started as a side project at her kitchen table is now without $2 billion. actually we didn't understand at the time this was what we were doing. the original plan to boot strap but in retrospect, that's probably one of the best things, if not the best that happened to us, because we didn't have deep pockets and we couldn't spend tons of money on it. so we ended up running it in a

very, very efficient way. so that by itself helped us later on when we build the company to run things very, very efficiently. we are running a very tight ship here and invest in the right things. one of the regional users told me, you won't believe what just happened. what happened? >> my sister lives in oregon, and she just bought her first house, so she's calling me to tell me there is a cool website that i have to check out. and she's telling me houzz. i started laughing. i said, are you kidding me? this is my friend. i'm one of the first users. she said, can you believe it that people in portland are already hearing about it organically. that was at a point in time where we had no investors, no employees. it was just us. then we started getting it from different directions. we said, okay, we're keeping a

very tight ship here. we only spend at this point like $2,000 a month for everything, which was out of our savings. but it works. ♪ ♪ >> when should i monetize and when not? we said, for example, for a while we don't want to even think about it. we could and we had an opportunity and we had tons of pay views and users already put ads there and get the money and we didn't, because we felt that's going to shift the focus from how can we get a little bit more money from, you know, what we really need to do, which is let's keep developing that user experience, that amazing product that everybody really wants but at the right time with the right monetization and not just because you want to get the money. don't enter it just because you want to exit it. do it because you really want to

be in it. enter not to exit. if you're not doing it for the right reasons, if you're not passionate about it, think twice. and we thought, okay, we can definitely check both boxes. before we raised the first round and turned it into a company, we really enjoyed doing it. that's fun. creating technology for an industry so big and there's nothing there. that's fun. the reason was never let's idot and flip it and sell it. exactly the opposite. we felt like o my goodness, is that a job? it's so much fun. if we don't like tons of meetings, we just don't have them. if we don't like lots of processes in place, because sometimes you're just trapped with too many processes and less time to deliver. you just don't do it. you remove all these barriers.

you say you want to innovate, go to your neighbor, work on invasii innovati innovation, go to neighbor, the community, move object. it's okay to make mistakes. this way we move much faster. so much happier, at least for us. we are bigger now. but in many ways because of the culture, we're able to operate like a small startup. >> santa has come and gone but that doesn't mean your sales have to go off the radar, too. small biz trend.com gives five ways to boost holiday sales. one, be ready for returns. consider offering a discount if someone makes extra purchases when making an exchange or getting a refund. also, arrange your store so impulse items are easily within reach. two, improve your online reviews.

remind your holiday shoppers to share their experiences and provide them with links. positive comments could potentially benefit you all year long. three, keep your holiday campaigns going. people may have last-minute purchases to make or gift cards to use. so keep your promotions going for an extra week. four, stock up on content. put together social media and blog posts for 2017. this way you won't have to rush to create contact when you're busy later in the year. and five, think about new year's resolutions. many of your customers are trying new things or setting goals. market the products or services you provide that could help them accomplish their priorities on their list. >> your best sources of new revenue are your existing customers. provide them with a good experience. and chances are, they will come back for more and tell other people, too. so what are some things we can do to go one step further with

the people who already buy for us. larry chang invests in high-growth boot strap companies, hi. >> good to be back. >> we talk so much about market, market, sometimes people forget to market to the people they already have. >> in a new business they focus on new customers, don't have road map to sell things to existing customers. trust me, as you grow, it is impossible to grow if you're not selling more to your existing base of it's key to start thinking about product road map early. >> product road map. >> yes. >> actually once they buy this, what am i going to do next, next, next. the timing of it, too. >> you need more share of wallet. otherwise hard to grow when you get big. >> one way to figure it out is to track it. >> you have to track it. if you don't track it you're not going to accomplish it. think about customer base. what percentage should be buying more from you, how much more spending if your service is a

$10 a month prescription, how much should they pay an additional $5 or $10, track it and try and hit those goals. >> so i work with this one shampoo company, right? peel have reorder at a certain time. so they have created this automatic renewal, so they send it to you every month. they would have to think, okay, how does somebody use this and when should we be sending it out again. >> a great way to think about product road map, how would they use the product before and after. if you're shampoo, what's your customer doing before and after, that might be a bridge to extend your product portfolio. >> to sell them something else. got it. >> yes. >> dedicated account manager for existing customers. >> sometimes in certain businesses, a different dna to sell to customer thank cultivate. sometimes sales reps focused on clothes, quarter, getting new logo in. but for maybe account management role, it's about long-term

relationship, consult tative, might be someone from customer service who has sales orientation that might be a tter person than your rep. >> it's about relationship building, whicht is. you want them to feel connected with you. that's not just about selling them the next thing, it's about having a dialogue. >> if your transaction with your customer you're not going to keep them forever. you need to make that type of investment. >> this is the point at the beginning we made, the biggest one, don't forts about them. once you rope them in, it's easy to slip out unless you give them a reason to stay. >> that's right. >> thanks, larry. >> if you want your sales team to sell more, they have to be well trained and probably aggressive. that was a particular challenge for a boise, idaho, skin care company. the owners discovered that training and engagement were the keys to nurturing a star sales rep. ♪ ♪ >> dr. chip cole is a very

satisfied customer. the owner of the oculus skin care center in atlanta says some sales reps miss the mark. >> it's all about the relationship and end product, which obviously is the consumer. that's what's important to us. >> esthetician stacy clark doesn't meet every sales rep who works through her door but denise made an impression. >> some sales rep are better than others. they know when to help push you. they know what products work in your office and look at your needs. >> denise is exactly the kind of person the doctor needed when he started the boise, idaho, skin care company. >> there is no substitute for having someone representing your company walking into an office, introducing that potential account to your concept. >> she gets the importance of face-to-face meetings and making personal connections with clients like chip and stacy.

>> you never know what anybody is going to ask. you have to know the answer or be able to say, i'm not sure about that, but i can get the answer for you. >> dr. carl's sales team was born out of necessity. >> as i observed the pharmaceutical industry, it struck me that a business model could be done more efficiently. it was the best option because that was the way we were going to be able to provide the customer service and the education that was needed. >> after deciding to expand organically, he found a way to reach his ideal clients. >> even though i was told by consultants at that time to start a viable skin care company, i would need at least $10 million and i should start in new york or los angeles, i said, i don't believe that's the case. i did not want to beholden to venture capital or investment break. >> he knew he didn't want to sell the products over the counter, which is why it sells in the offices of plastic surgeons, dermatologist and estheticians who know the skin

best. denise and 15 other sales reps based around the country are working the front lines. >> i don't think there would be any other way for professionals to be detailed on these products other than having a rep walk in and give them the information. >> the national director of sales molly johnson agrees. she says the most important thing her team does is educate. >> they are talking to doctors and estheticians and nurses. they are doing trains with existing accounts. if they have a new staff or want a refresher on the products. >> trainings are designed to help sell products even though they might not have a sales background. of course th model would not work without the right people. finding them is hard. molly looks for driven individuals who are also a right fit for the region. >> someone in the northeast has a very different personality than the south or the west coast even. epionce doesn't based reps in major cities, smaller markets

are actually preferred. while it wasn't always easy to keep sales reps the team doubled in size over the past year or so. molly believes small business like epionce have a lot of opportunities to number and th just want to know what your sales were and don't care about anything else. >> to this day, competing against companies with lots of money is tough, which makes the existence of a sales team vital. epionce's sales numbers are on the rise, and dr. carl knows he has the right sales model and team in place to bring the brand forward. >> we have been able to grow and remained profitable at still sticking within the model. you need to know what the end game is. once you have that, then you can put together the pathways of how to achieve that. i'm nicole centenno, ceo of plendit spoon. we're a national meal delivery business based on the idea that small changes make a big impact on your health.

we deliver those small changes in the form of plant-based meals, mindfulness tips and support. our meals are satisfying, wholesome and ready to eat. these are vegan and gluten-free soups, stews and chilies that help women take command of their health. we have a $4 million run rate, thousands of loyal companies and great unit economics. we're raising $5 million. we'll use this capital to increase lifetime value through improvements in tech and food product and acquire new customers. the $60 billion diet industry is based on a vicious cycle that keeps women feeling like they're failing and having poor body image. our mission is to liberate women from this vicious cycle by providing a path to authentic wellness. investors can expect a 50x roi. >> nice job! thank you very much! >> thank you! >> while holding this -- wow, that smells good! >> yeah, try some. >> i'm going to give you both

these. i'm going to. two numbers, between one and ten. the first, what do you think of the product. the second what do you think of the pitch. what is this? >> that's the kabocha porridge, pumpkin milk. >> amazing! amazing. ryan, you're done and i got to taste and you didn't. so i'll just tell you it's good. okay, product. >> i was an eight for product. i thought it tasted really good. my wife's a nutritionist, and i detely think that this is something that she would be a fan of, so nice job. on the pitch, i thought it was well done. there are a couple things that i would recommend. one on the traction side of things, i like that you said 4 million run rate, but say revenue run rate so we kind of know what the run rate is. and talk more about the fact that you've raised little amount of money and gotten to where you are. it's impressive. last thing i would say is on the market size. i like how the dieting market is big, but be more specific and talk about maybe the juicy market or another market that's immediately addressable. but overall, good job.

>> that's what i think of first as an investor, right? some of the juice companies have really impressive exit, so if you follow them, an investor can grab on to it and understand it. natalia. >> so, obviously, i liked it more than ryan did. i gave you a ten for product. you saw that i actually scooped twice. and in terms of the nine for the pitch, i'd say a couple things i was thinking about. you're narrowing your potential market by saying women. there are actually studies out there that are saying that a lot of guys are thinking about diet and nutrition. so i'd encourage you to just think of a bigger market in terms of the language that you use, and also in terms of your brand. you have such a fantastic name, splendid spoon. i would say the first time i heard it, i was thinking you were going to be a blue apron. and in fact, in some ways, your competitors are more weightwatchers. so, maybe bringing about how you differentiate yourself from, like, the other competitors in the market would be a great way to make your pitch better. >> and this is the real deal, because what you do is you

invest in female entrepreneurs. would you take another meeting? >> yes. and i'd love for you to apply to pipeline angels. >> thank you! >> fantastic, all right! thank you both so much. thank you for coming on. >> thank you for having me! >> i am so excited to try this, so good luck with everything. next, should you accept ouideunding when bootstrapping has worked for your start-up so far? and here's something to think about -- ryan says don't keep your business plans a secret. will your business be ready when growth presents itself? american express open cards can help you take on a new job, or fill a big order or expand your office and take on whatever comes next.

find out how american express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open.com. you say it's worth it to get somebody else's money and resources to inject into our business, even though we've been able to bootstrap it the whole way? >> i am a big fan of bootstrapping, and i think companies should do that as long as they possibly can, but there comes a time when maybe you want to shift gears. maybe you want to come out with a new product or expand into a different territory or maybe acquire a company, and those things really require you to get some outside capital. but don't make the miake that i've seen so many companies make before. they think that they need to go out and get outside capital because they've got a problem with the business, and it's affecting cash flow. so, if cash flow is the issue, bringing money in to do something like hire a sales team is not really going to be

appropriate. i can't tell you how many times people have said they want to bring capital in, and i ask them what they're going to use the funds for and they're like, i want to hire a sales team. that's a kiss of death to me. if you're bringing in money to fix a cash flow problem, take a deep look at the business, under the hood, and decide if there is a design flow with the business that could be corrected without bringing in money. we now have the "top 2 tips" you need to know to help your small business go. natalia and ryan with back with us. good to see you back here on the set. ryan, let's start with you. >> my top tip is don't keep your idea a secret. i talk to so many entrepreneurs, especially first-time entrepreneurs, that are afraid to share their idea because they think someone's going to steal it, and that's a huge mistake for a few reasons. first of all, executing a start-up is 1% idea and 99% execution. it's all about what you do with the idea that matters. secondly, if it's a good idea, i guarantee you there will be 100 other people with the same idea.

if you're the only person with an idea, it's probably a bad idea. and then lastly, the benefits you get from sharing your idea with other people greatly outweigh the small risk that someone will steal it. so you're going to get tons of great feedback from people and you're probably going to get investors, customers, or even coounders to join you. so the more you shaour idea, the better you are. >> all right. natalia? >> so, my top tip is research who you're meeting. and the reason for that is that oftentimes, a lot of entrepreneurs, they might go into a meeting with an investor, and they haven't even googled them. and a lot of times, investors invest in what's familiar and what looks like them. and if you can make it easier for them to find that commonality, you know, did you go to the same school, do you like the same sports. >> by the way, spend two seconds on linkedin. by the time you talk to an investor, you probably already know that because that's probably how you got to the

perp. but spend a second on linkedin to decide what you have in common. >> i've been to a lot of pitch events where an entrepreneur doesn't realize they went to the same school as one of the investors and that could have been a great entry point, including it into the pitch, kind of name-dropping, if you will, like to make that connection. and that's a lost opportunity. >> all right. thank you both so much. >> thank you. >> thanks. this week's your biz seyi comes from regina from georgia. she offers motorcycle apparel and accessories for women and men. she loves riding horses and choppers. and i love that headband, regina. thank you for sending in your picture.