My name is Angelo Crino, and I own Crino Cuts LLC, a professional knife and tool sharpening service that started in Annapolis, Maryland. I am a freshman at WVU, currently majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. One hard lesson I had to learn early on was to put publicity before profit. I see a lot of young entrepreneurs such as myself talk a lot about money before they think of making connections or marketing. Money and value are two different kinds of transactions, and highly discounted or even free services have a ton of value, especially early on in the life of the business.
Trust is the biggest factor in the service industry, and without trust, how you can expect individuals or business owners to buy what you are selling? It is too big of a risk for them. This is when you come in and make yourself the obvious choice for the consumer. If you offer your product or service at a highly competitive price and promise competitive performance, the consumer would be a fool not to choose you over your competition. This also creates very stable connections between you and the consumer, and if you deliver on performance, you are creating a lot of trust as well. These connections can sometimes be much more valuable than capital as a start-up.
For me, the LaunchLab helped me build connections with other business owners in the area and with student-owned businesses. With these foundational connections, I was able to find my footing in the market here in Morgantown, and connect with my target market much easier. The business coaches at the LaunchLab, like Anne Jones, also played a major role in teaching me how to pitch my business, and present it in a way that is professional and personable. This skill has been very applicable to my business, as it played a major role in helping me win funding in the Fall Pitch Competition hosted by the LaunchLab. I have used this funding to further expand my business by purchasing high end equipment, which allowed me to service more clients in a shorter time frame.
Right now, I am currently working on building more connections in the community, and working on a merchandise line to help my branding and appearances. You can find me at @crino_cuts on Instagram or contact me by crinocuts@gmail.com. WVU and the LaunchLab have been a massive help in growing my business and my knowledge of entrepreneurship as a whole, and I am very grateful for the opportunities they have provided for everyone looking to bring their business ideas into fruition.