How to Grow Your Business When You Move to a New State

Idaho is beautiful!

Relocating to a new state as a business owner can be both an exciting opportunity and a challenging transition. While the prospect of starting fresh in a new market can open up doors to growth and untapped potential, it also comes with its share of uncertainties. You’ve likely spent years establishing your business in one location, cultivating a loyal customer base, fostering relationships, and building a strong network through hard-earned trust and consistent effort. Moving means stepping into unfamiliar territory, where you’ll need to adapt, strategize, and rebuild elements of your business foundation. In this blog, we will explore how to navigate the challenges of relocating your business while making the most of the opportunities it brings.

Key Strategies for Growing Your Business After Relocating

1) Pray: It can be a bit lonely when moving to a new area, but you aren't alone. Jesus is always present and ready to help, if we are faithful to invite Him into our life. Every part. Does He care about your business? Absolutely! Not only that, He holds the keys to creative wisdom, blessings and miracles. Trust Him with the process because He will never let you down. This has been key to every part of growing my business over the last 5 years.

2) Get Out and About: If you are like me, you sell best through building authentic relationships. Make plenty of time to get out and enjoy all that your new area has to offer, especially locally. Visit local attractions and places where you can open conversations with people around you. Watching a movie at the local theater can be enjoyable, but it offers minimal opportunities for building relationships. Focus on opportunities to talk with others.

3) Practice Your Introduction: Knowing how to drop your business and expertise into conversations without sounding salesy is a great skill to learn at any time. This is a great time to brush up on your mission statement, unique value statement, and clarifying what services you offer. Entrepreneurs have business running through their blood - it's part of who we are - so it should be natural to incorporate your business into conversations.

4) Research Networking Groups Online and Offline: Networking groups are a powerful way to build relationships with others in the business community, but not all groups are alike. Do you tend to do better in a BNI group where networking is very uniform and organized? Or do you prefer a more natural approach at a coffee shop or local bar? I recommend checking out different local groups on Facebook and in-person to see what fits best for you. The local Chamber of Commerce is a great resource for finding local groups and even advertising through their platforms.

5) Set Networking Goals: During my years as a Sales Representative in the title and escrow industry, I always made it a point to set clear goals for every event I attended. Here are a few example goals I would set:

• Meet 5-7 new people. These are general contacts who may not necessarily be a target client.

• Connect with or meet 1-2 people who are prospective clients.

• Set 2-3 one-on-one appointments after event.

• Collect several business cards and add to my CRM for follow-up.

• Utilize "thank you" cards that are personal and handwritten.

6) Take Time to Expand Your Capabilities: What software have you always wanted to learn but you just haven't had the time? Is there a certification or licensure that you have wanted to attain? Do you need to practice your video editing or graphic design skills? Would learning how to organize your accounting processes benefit you? Now is the time to stay focused and use any extra time you have to be intentional with growing your expertise. As I have been growing my business in Boise, I have taken the time to review real estate contracts for Oregon, Washington and Idaho; learn two new video editing apps; build out my onboarding systems; and plan my marketing strategy - all things that I didn't have the time to do while I was booked out completely.

Learning a new skill is always a marketable tool for connecting with potential clients and providing value to industry partners.

7) Get Tech Nerdy: Technology is a huge part of every day of our lives, especially as business owners. With tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software, online marketing platforms, and data analytics, you can not only reach a broader audience but also engage with them on a deeper level. These technologies help streamline your operations, provide valuable insights into customer behavior, and allow for personalized communication. By effectively leveraging these resources, you can create a strong foundation for establishing trust and demonstrating value in a new community. Here are some examples of what I did to utilize technology during this transition:

• Update my website and SEO including refining and expanding my portfolio, updating my Google Business Profile, and adding SEO-rich content.

• Start a weekly blog and stay consistent.

• Create branding materials in digital and print format.

• Educate myself on recent social media algorithm's and stay consistent with posting.

• Connect with local business owners in Facebook networking groups for the Meridian and Boise area.

• Set up Aframe to provide a better experience for my real estate agent clients and streamline transaction coordination services.

Remember, success in a new area often comes down to your ability to adapt and connect with those around you, and technology can be a powerful ally in achieving that goal.

8) Keep in Touch: Moving to a new state doesn’t mean losing referrals or business from your network. Stay connected with friends and professional contacts to remain top-of-mind, and keep delivering outstanding service to maintain those relationships.

9 )Volunteer in Your Community: Discover community events and projects that align with your values and volunteer your time. Serving others is a powerful way to connect with your new community, build relationships, and increase your brand awareness..

10) Enjoy the Journey: Moving to a new area is an opportunity to dream big, refocus, and build strength and perseverance as you embark on a fresh adventure. Is it easy? No—but business rarely is. Stay encouraged, remain positive, stay motivated, and most importantly, enjoy the journey.

This blog is personal as I am in the midst of this transition right now. After living in the Vancouver, Washington area for over 12 years my husband and I made the move to Meridian, Idaho in September of 2024. Washington was comfortable, beautiful, and familiar... until it wasn't. With years devoted to connecting with the real estate and small business community in Clark County, there was a lot to leave behind and the loss has been felt. While Washington remains a beautiful place, the reality of the destruction caused by the "leadership" of the state made it clear that we could no longer make it our home. With the loss has come tremendous opportunity to grow as a person and as a business owner. I am enjoying the challenge of building my faith in this season, connecting with new people and moving forward to grow Rhema Strategic. Idaho is becoming Idahome, and I am grateful.

-Katie