Editor’s note: For our Women in Business issue, we invited women in our local business communities to share insights they’ve gained through their work in Western North Carolina.
Kaye Bentley is the founder and owner of Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours.
Xpress: What is the best advice you were given about launching your business?
Bentley: Once you launch your business, even with great marketing, it will still take a bit of time to get the word out and start generating revenue.
What is the best advice you’d share with someone just starting out today?
Look to your local community and online to see what business resources are already available — some are often free resources. Take the time to learn as much as you can through these resources and absolutely ask all of the questions. The connections you make through these resources are invaluable, even after your initial startup period.
As a woman, what unique challenges have you experienced within your industry, and how have you overcome these obstacles?
Starting a tourism-based business — and my business also being the very first of its kind — it took time to gain a foothold in the existing local tour market.
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