I don’t know about you, but as a girl boss there are days that I find it extremely difficult to keep moving forward with my small business. Can you relate?
Perhaps the constant pressure looms that your competition includes big box stores that are cheaper and have a solid multi-billion dollar marketing campaign behind them or other small businesses that purely have more budget to put towards marketing than your business does this year. But, that shouldn’t stop anyone from pressing forward as an entrepreneur.
Here are a few tips to help your brand shine as you embrace your own kind of beautiful in small business.
The number one asset that small business owners can offer their customers is SERVICE. In the late 90’s, McDonald’s came out with the slogan “smiles are free.” It was an ongoing family joke that smiles weren’t free at all because everyone hated working there and prices went up because they had to cover the cost of people smiling. As funny as that may sound (my family is a little crazy), I rarely visit a large franchise business and feel the same kind of energy as I do when I shop or dine at a locally-owned business. The passion that backs local business could be bottled up and sold for top dollar. The other secret is this; people who appreciate that kind of energy will keep coming and supporting the business if the top-notch service is there.
Another aspect of being your own kind of beautiful in business is the PRESENTATION or the form of marketing and packaging. Many of you have probably sat through marketing lectures in college when logos were flashed on the screen or ad jingles were played and you had to guess what company it belonged to. We remember those things because of brand recognition and much of that multi-billion dollar budget is what we have to thank. However, that does not mean that small businesses are exempt because they don’t have deep pockets.
In small business, the most important habit for all aspects of the business model is CONSISTENCY. If you have a logo and a brand that people recognize, even if it is simple, if it is consistently present on social media, print media and other forms of advertising then you are doing awesome.
The last point that I talk regularly with my clients is their GAME PLAN also known as their business plan. Some days I feel like a broken record, but I continue to remind them that the most successful businesses I know are those who have a killer business plan and stick to it. In addition to that, they are consistent (there’s that word again) with their marketing, policies and procedures, hiring techniques and service. Clients and prospects pay attention to these things and they will have a fierce loyalty if they know that a business is doing all they can to be the best and outshine the competition.
If you are a business owner and think “how can I be my own kind of beautiful” please don’t give up. Have a solid reality check look at your business plan and decide how you can improve it. Engage with people who inspire you and will hold you accountable for your goals. The loneliness of small business ownership can take its toll and the accountability piece helps you stay focused, even on the days when you want to call it quits. Have courage, straighten your crown and don’t give up hope if your business is slower to grow than you anticipated. It will happen if you keep service, consistency and a game plan at the front of the line.
The moral of the story: beauty is in the eye of the beholder so be the small business that your customers can’t help but love because you’re unforgettable.
Until next time, my lovelies!
-R
