Small Business

I once heard that you have just 8 seconds to make or break a first impression. When I enter a new situation, I am aware that the first 8 seconds are paramount. A bad first impression often sticks with a person and there are times when you just can't get past it.      

When you run a business of any kind the first 8 seconds are very important. This is especially true in small business. It all starts with that first phone call. I am not a fan of pushing a number, then another number, and possible another to leave a message. If you get a real person to answer the phone that wins points in my world. If that person is easy to understand and is understanding, another point. If that person, is personable I am in. 

I support small business as much as I can. I recently took my computer for a check-up. It was suggested by a friend that I chose one of the first computer repair businesses in Brandon. Sadly, the owner of this business died last year at a young age, but his wife was continuing to run the business. I called to make some inquiries, and she answered the phone. She agreed to take on my computer, but it would take a week before they could get to it. I appreciated that, she was honest and gave me an option. Secondly, it meant they were busy by popularity. When I picked my computer up, I noticed a funeral card at the till. She said it was her husband, and they lost him a year ago. We spoke briefly about her struggles to carry on, but clearly, she was honoring their business, and the business appeared to continue to thrive. He would be so proud of her.   

I had an experience in a large chain business in their computer repair section. I don't think the young man meant to speak down to me. I don't think he intended to make me feel stupid, but he did. 

Small business is the way it rolls in small communities. At my mom's birthday party, we were exposed to three of them. 

First up is the B&B. This woman is a senior and she knows the world of small business. From spring to fall, she runs an ice cream shop out of her home. Every day she makes her own waffle cones and bowls. She has two rooms in her home that she uses as B&B rooms. She has regular clientele that visit her often. She is just charming and knows how to make people comfortable in her home. She also makes an incredible breakfast, which is my favorite part of staying at a B&B. 

A family member owns a little restaurant in the town my family calls home. She was only 19 years old when she opened the doors, and she has been very successful. The community really needed a place just like this little gem. Mom had chosen to have a turkey and all the trimmings for her birthday meal. It was just so wonderful to have "Tailgate" cater to such an important event. 

I have already shared about the little baker in the community. Every piece of baking is a work of art. To make a cookie taste as good as they look, is admirable. You have to book early with her, so that speaks to her popularity.

My friend took me to a fabric shop in Souris. Not a huge place but the shelves are lined with bolts of fabric. Incredible fabric I must say. There were 4 employees working that day. One was getting orders ready to mail, 2 were cutting fabric to fill orders and serving customers and another was helping wherever needed. One employee shared that they just had a Thanksgiving sale, and they had a few hundred orders to fill. A few hundred!!!!! I was really curious about this business as it appeared to have a huge online purchase option. Apparently, most of the fabric orders come from within Canada, some from the continental USA and on the rare occasion Europe. Is that not incredible. 

I was just at a small craft sale. There were two small businesses I must mention. The first is a wildlife photographer. I was introduced to his work when his wife brought some photos to our retreat. I went to the craft sale with the sole purpose to get a Christmas present for a person that is hard to buy for. She is a bird lover, and he had a large selection of bird photo cards to choose from. Each photo looked like the animals were trained models, even the Grizzly bear.    

 

The second small business that I visited was a mom and daughter business. The mom sews coats and the daughter knits and crochets hats, mitts and other beautiful items. Every piece of clothing is unique and sewn beautifully. It takes about 25 hours to make one coat. I just can't imagine having the skill to create a one-of-a-kind coat every time I sat down at the sewing machine. I have never owned something like the coat I bought.    

I was once a small business owner. I made rules for myself before I even started. I was in healing and worked hourly to provide treatments. That meant from the moment the client arrived until the second they left; it was about them. They were not my captive audience, I was theirs. It was important for me to return text messages and phone calls as quickly as I could. I practiced what I felt was good business. 

Having a small business was an experience I will treasure forever. I learned so many life lessons from managing my own business. I know what I like and what I don't like in a business. I try not to be critical, but I find I can be. I believe when you are doing a job, just do it to the best of your ability. That is what makes businesses thrive.