A List of Do’s and Don’ts for Small Businesses After a thought provoking two hour dinner with Ryan Holiday at Dai Due last night, I was inspired to continue writing. I wanted to share some ways to enhance your small business that cost little to no money while dramatically adding to the thoughtfulness of your products, services and teammates that will be greatly notices and appreciated by your customers and guests. -When Everyone is Zigging, Consider a Good Zag Lululemon is the first big business that comes to mind when I think of Zaggers. They run their big business as a series of small businesses. Their products are extremely well-made, and employee empowerment and team building from top to bottom are their top priority. They even give each store leader the opportunity to allocate corporate dollars to small-scale local non-profit projects. They connect with each community they are in with the same principles as a thoughtful small-business. The Brew Gentlemen and The Independent are perhaps as good at a good old fashioned zap as any small business that we work with. Take Halloween for example. Holidays for those of us in the food and drink business can be an opportunity to either price gouge, or to do something so incredibly awesome and thoughtful that we have the opportunity to build more true relationships. Admittedly, the latter takes an immense amount of time and energy and produces a far lower margin for a time when others look to make a big score. It was their idea to host the Hitchcock party, and we were delighted that they asked us to join them in hosting it. How about the Brew Gentlemen’s approach to beer. When the nation was on to their next 300 minute and hop explosion, those guys were sophomores in college and planning to produce brews with subtle, beautiful flavors using the finest ingredients and refusing to waver from producing it in a town they deeply believed in. In the end, the things you are most proud of, and the things that ran you into the ground and provided the greatest challenge. And its fun to watch your zags become everyone elses zig while you’re on to the next zag. -Assign Homework to your Team Im currently reading Ryan Holiday’s latest book, The Obstacle is the Way. Studying stoicism can help us reflect on our emotions and make us more self-aware of the power of perspective during moments where our emotions would otherwise be destructive outlets. amazon/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+obstacle+is+the+way&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=43818277169&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12844059182096902352&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_5q8lj2oot0_e While few of us will join Ryan by polishing off three-four books a week, there is no one on the planet who should not read at least three chapters of a book of their choosing every week and reflect on it. By asking your team to read and share their reflections with you, you’re creating a culture of self-awareness and supporting the growth of them as individuals. You’re also creating more content for your team to share with your customers and between themselves. -No Triple-Posting Small business creates goods and services that are more thoughtful and specialized than big business. Small businesses depend on building closer, truer relationships with those who consume their goods and services than do big businesses. Gary Vaynerchuk talks in depth about the benefits of using different social media platforms differently. Ever hear the old Tu Pac song, ‘All Bout U’? ‘Every other city we go, every other vi-de-o, no matter where I go, I see the same….’ You get it. Thats how customers of small businesses feel when they have to click on a link in Twitter to get to an Instagram picture and then see the same Instagram picture on Instagram and Facebook pages. There is a much greater benefit in giving Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram separate but equal voices for your small business. Stick to five words or less on Instagram, information sharing on Twitter, and blog-like offerings on Facebook. Beyond your own products and services, share your experiences and the people, products and images that inspire you. -No Timed-Posts Timed-posts are for big businesses to remind you to buy toilet paper at Wal-Mart. Not only are timed-posts disingenuous if you are seeking to build the true relationships that a small business needs to survive past its pop-and-sizzle phase, but in the worst circumstances, they can make you look like a total ass and display disrespect for current events. A really sad example of this occurred during the recent tragedy in Australia. Small businesses had timed social media posts to be released, encouraging folks to come patronize their establishments while streets were blocked off. Don’t forget that you can’t control the weather… -Consider the Source When your small business starts to see growth, you’ve likely already made it farther than the vast majority of folks who have started a business or had an idea to start a business. At this point the challenge becomes implementing new ideas without being distracted by outsiders who wish to interject their opinion, and to do so with crystal clear communication with your team. The fact that you’ve seen growth means that you have a resolve that others may not fully understand. But more importantly, its your obligation to understand that your resolve is a direct result of the team that has built the vision of the small business into a reality with you and of the supporters of the small business who have continued to be excited with you and for you. For our team, folks like Andrew and Fiona, Sukanta, George and a list that goes on for days are the ones that we are thankful for. But there will always be a handful of others to be cautious of, and what astounds me is how I’ve witnessed so many other small businesses, after seeing growth, start to listen to the wrong people. They actually buy in to the fearful narrative of nay-sayers who on the surface sound like they have an intuitive argument, but in the end, if you consider the source, are just talking sophisticated shit. In the end, only let conversations about the strategy or direction of your small business continue with those who either have questions or proposed solutions with you. In the words of Jay-Z, “people tell you how to do it; they never done it.” Onward.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:06:38 +0000