Bangarang Consulting helps small businesses in the area

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

When Aimeé Nesse was in third grade, she told her mother, “I’m going to move to Nashville and be a businesswoman.” 
When she was 17, that’s exactly what she did, and she lived there for 20 years. Fast forward a few years down the road, literally and figuratively, and the wife of an active-duty soldier has found herself in the Fort Hood area—and still a businesswoman. 
Nesse owns Bangarang Consulting, and she’s made it her mission to help small business owners in Central Texas. While her office is located at Nolanville’s City Hall, she consults with small businesses from Salado to Copperas Cove and beyond. 
“In college, I began a student-run PR firm, to bring money into the university and create college scholarships,” Nesse said. Then, she really cut her teeth where business and marketing are concerned while working for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. 
“They export more than they import, and just sitting in those staff meetings and just getting more and more information, it was so eye-opening,” Nesse said. Then the military brought her husband—and her—to Fort Hood, where she continued learning. 
“This area is different, and I’m so grateful to June Ritterbusch at the Salado Winery for teaching me how small business works in Central Texas,” Nesse said, calling Ritterbusch a good friend and a mentor. “I would have never known about the climate, who works with who, and June was a big part of that.” 
Nesse jumped right in working for the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce for three years as a small business counselor for the Central Texas Business Resource Center, housed at the Killeen Workforce Center offices. She called being a small business counselor one of the favorite jobs she’s ever had.
“I couldn’t have landed in a better place. I’m so grateful for my time there.” 
But then, she began to think of how she could do more for small business owners, and Bangarang Consulting was born. Her offices in the Nolanville City Hall also double as an entrepreneurship center, but is a bit different than the one formerly run by the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation. 
“I had a feeling that the entrepreneurship center in Copperas Cove would be my ‘only competition’ but I greatly respect the lady that ran it, Diane Drussell,” Nesse said. “I let her know, I’d partner with her and not compete. We referred people to each other.”
Nesse presently has two tenants in her office that can use the space for meeting with clients, doing their office work, and holding events. 
“The good thing is, if someone has an MLM business, like LuLaRoe, Scentsy, Origami Owl, they can use my space as part of the Small Business Alliance,” Nesse said. “We’re built to facilitate small business. If you want to come here after work at 7 o’clock at night and you have your kids with you, you can do that.” 
Her offices have plenty of games for kids of all ages, Netflix, lounging space, and project tables so people can spread out and work. Nesse even brings her dogs to the office. 
Often, small business owners trying to stay afloat can find the marketing and advertising their business a daunting experience. This is where Nesse steps in, calling herself a “fill in the blanks” person. 
“I like to get to know my small business owners, for us to trust each other and build together. Because it’s not about me, it’s about us. They need somebody to fill in the blanks. I’m a fill-in-the-blanks person for their business. 
Nesse will meet one-on-one with small business owners to help them craft marketing plans and campaigns, and if needed, she’ll even run the campaign. 
One of the campaigns she does for Salado Winery is an ostrich egg decorating event every spring. 
“I run the campaign for them, light a fire under it, do social media for it, video and photography, you name it,” Nesse said. “I also do website design. I’ve designed a lot of logos. I do social media management. I have videography, photography. I do a lot of workshops, consulting one-one-on, for us to sit down and talk about the business.”
Among the workshops she offers are workshops on Social Media Management, Starting a Food Truck and Restaurant, How to Start a Business, Writing a Business Plan, How to Exhibit Your Business at a Market, How to Create a Buzz about Your Event, and more. She helps businesses prepare press releases for events, and more.
Among her local clients are places like the Stillhouse Wine Room, Chill Grill, as well as Professional Counseling Services in both Copperas Cove and Killeen. 
One of her recent products is helping a woman who is a disabled veteran launch a product on Kickstarter, the first adjustable shower caddy. “It’s brilliant,” Nesse said. 
Another recent and larger endeavor was coordinating the annual Jamboree festival for the City of Nolanville. 
She and her husband have been at Fort Hood for five years and they like Central Texas. 
“Out of all the military installations you could pick, this area seems to be growing in a good direction,” Nesse said.
To learn more about Nesse’s consulting services and resources for small business owners, she can be reached via her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BangarangConsulting/ or by calling (615) 506-2464.