craigdailypress.com

Name: Bob Hankins

Name of Business/Address: Hang Time Powersports, 1320 W. Victory Way, in Craig, 824-3188.

What prompted you to open your business in Craig? I've lived in Craig more than 25 years, so it was a natural decision to have my business here.

How did you get into your line of business? I have been in racing all my life, and I know the sport and business well.

What is your philosophy of being a good businessman? I think being able to do business on a handshake is important in this community. You really need local support to stay successful. It's also important to try to continually learn more about how to give customers the best service possible. Watching how other successful businesses serve their customers helps with that.

How do you define the role of your business in the community? We support a lot of community events like the county rodeos, school events and really anything involving kids. We also work with the Colorado Racing Association to plan and help with events.

What is the best part of your job? I like making people happy. I've learned that if you treat customers like you would want to be treated, it makes all the difference. It's great to be able to build relationships with people and know they're coming to us because of our commitment to service.

What is the most challenging part of your job? Finding suppliers that will deliver what we want, when we want is the hardest part of my job. It can be difficult to find suppliers that care as much as we do.

What advice would you give to people considering opening their own businesses? Put your customers first! The rest will come later. Too many people starting a business only focus on the money and don't realize that if your customers are happy, the profits will come naturally.