When Amanda and Kenneth Uhl bought Nutrition World in July 2019, they had big plans, including a second store.
“COVID changed our plans dramatically. We were in the process of opening another location in a nearby city. However, that has since been postponed,” said Amanda.
Located in Cabot, Nutrition World sells vitamins and dietary supplements. Since the pandemic began, sales are down. The couple is “lucky and thankful it’s not enough of a drop to close the doors,” she said.
In October, Amanda enrolled in the Business Recovery Boot Camp offered by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in partnership with the Cabot Chamber of Commerce. To help businesses rebound from COVID-19, the five-week fully online program focused on planning, budgeting, marketing, and e-commerce.
“The Business Recovery Boot Camp was my first experience with ASBTDC. I would say it’s the best decision I made for our small business,” said Amanda, who has never worked in retail or owned a business before.
The Business Recovery Boot Camp encouraged her to “look at the business on a bigger scale,” she said, and clarified where she should focus her efforts “in order to see the results I’m wanting to see for our business.”
During the boot camp, Amanda was paired with ASBTDC’s Catherine Corley.
Corley’s expertise in marketing, coupled with ASBTDC market research, helped Uhl zero in on Nutrition World’s ideal customer.
“She provided me with ideas to help engage and attract new customers. She also provided me with amazing information and data regarding our target customer and how I can reach them,” said Amanda.
Business Recovery Services
To appeal to new customers, the business also has new branding created by Think Idea Studio – at no cost to Uhl.
Through ASBTDC’s new Business Recovery Services program, the center connects client businesses with vendors for one-time or short-term projects to accelerate their COVID recovery. Think Idea Studio is among the first contract service providers participating.
Uhl is excited about the new logo and tagline. The new logo already appears on the Nutrition World website and Facebook page, with new signage and shopping bags coming soon.
“We definitely needed a more modern touch, especially since one of my goals is to attract younger and new customers,” Amanda said. “They hit the nail on head with this design. We love it!”
From the boot camp to the market research to the one-on-one consulting with Corley to the branding project, Uhl believes the specialized, no-cost services from ASBTDC have strengthened her business.
“Being able to access someone that has knowledge in an area that we are struggling in or could use some help with is very vital during this time. We are limited on resources due to the financial strain because of COVID,” she said.
Hope for a Healthy Future
Amanda, too, has knowledge to share. She’s eager to talk with customers and answer questions about “Complete Health and Holistic Wellness” – Nutrition World’s new tagline.
“My certification in holistic nutrition has provided me a wealth of knowledge that I can provide to our customers to help them improve their overall health with certain chronic diseases and illnesses, along with offering food plans and supplement protocols,” she said.
“Although the past year has been difficult, we look forward to the future of the store and hope to expand so we can help others.”
Visit Nutrition World’s website or Facebook page to learn more about the business.