Michelle Truax Tells How REAP Is Helping Her Expand Her Business
Set goals, have a plan, and become involved in the community — these are the keys to this business woman’s philosophy.

Starting a business is not easy. It takes commitment, hard work, and a lot of hours. However, most business owners seem to never find enough time to get involved with other things that can benefit their business. One of these things is a networking group.

I’m the owner of a tanning salon "Around the World Tanning" in Wahoo, Nebraska. I’ve been in business for 1 ½ years, and I feel that the success of my business is not only dedication, commitment, and hard work, it’s also that I’m involved with the community and with SCIBN.

SCIBN (Saunders County Independent Business Network), a part of REAP, is a group of business owners who share their stories or ideas with the group. We all have a lot in common, and it’s nice to know you can rely on someone who can relate to your success or challenges in the business world.

There are a lot of people out there in the world who want to see you fail or quit. Most of us will quit or just give up. I’ve been told at several conventions that you must always stay focused on your dream(s) or goal(s).

We will always face a challenge in life, but when the going gets tough, you must always get back up and keep going toward that dream. You can never fail at anything until you give up!

I’ve achieved my dream by opening a tanning salon in Wahoo. However, with hard work and reevaluating my business plan through REAP (with help from Monica Braun and Glennis McClure), I’m ready to expand my salon into a larger building this fall.

My customer base has grown tremendously, and it’s time to make the move. I strongly feel that you must set goals, have a business plan, and if you need to make some adjustments, do it!

There’s a saying:
Believe in yourself!
Believe in your business!
Believe in your product or service!