...What Happens When You Get Sick?

Since it’s cold and flu season I have not missed the opportunity to not only get a bad cold but to pass it along to my husband.  I was down and out for a couple of days as he is now.  So what happens to your business when you get sick? Do you have a contingency plan?  Who handles everything for you?

I have to convince my husband to stay home when he is sick.  First of all he needs time to rest to feel better and fight off the cold.  Second, when he goes in to work and is contagious he gives it to others. So let me just say to those of you who will get sick- STAY HOME! But how do you do that if you are the boss?

If you have staff, you should have them trained to fill in for you when you need them.  We always tell business owners that to truly be a business owner in charge of your own time you need to be able to get away at a minimum of a week without your business falling apart.  That means having someone there to handle everything for you- someone you trust. So if you haven’t done that – make it a priority.  No one wants to think they can be replaced but at the very least they should be replaceable for a week at a time.  It will help your sanity and your health in the long run. 

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Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

...How Do You Treat Your Members or Customers?

I run a member-oriented organization and have also worked for another one in my career.  What I have found is that it really matters how you and your employees treat your members. It’s the same for your customers.   

People continue with you and your business based a lot of how they are treated and whether or not they feel valued.  I belong to several of these organizations.  I have seen them do very well and not so well.   

One of the key things I have found important is how the owner or the one in charge values their members or customers.  Are they money-driven to the point that when you think about that organization that is all you feel they value?  Do they recognize hard work and dedication to their organization (you can tell this sometimes by employee/volunteer attitudes)? 

I have worked with organizations that do an excellent job of recognizing hard work and value input. I have worked with some that care only about their bottom line and make it clear to everyone.

So if you were to ask customers or members what they thought of your organization what do you think they’d say?  It might be worth some time to consider this- it just might help you keep the customers or members you have and encourage new ones to join you.  

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

...the Art of Thank You

 

How often do you say thank you to the people who work with you closely?  When you work closely with people and they do their jobs on a consistent daily basis and do them well a thank you can be a nice reward.  How you say it and when can be important too.  A thank you to your team can help keep them on track and keep them going strong.

 Look at the work that is being performed. People go above and beyond on their jobs all the time and few notice.  It’s just who they are.  Sometimes a simple thank you for your hard work or letting them know you think they are good at what they do can motivate and help them feel appreciated. 

We all like to think we do a good job and that people notice what we do. But it’s not always true. Truer still is they may notice and never say a word to us.  When you know someone is doing a great job, let them know, just say thank you.  

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Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

...Who Is the One Person You Depend On?

We all have people we depend on.  In life and in business we have or have had someone very valuable in our lives that helped make everything just a little bit better.   Who is that person for you? Are you that person to anyone? 

Everyone needs someone they can bounce ideas off of someone we trust with our secrets and our ideas.  It’s important that we have someone in our lives to do just that.  Mine throughout the years have been either a strong mentor (especially in my college and early career days) a great boss, a great employee and since I got married, my husband. 

We cannot underestimate the value of having someone we can depend on, having someone who has our backs.  Think about who that person is in your life. Also you might be that person to someone else; you might be the one they depend on more than anyone else, who never lets them down.

This type of person can be worth their weight in gold. Make sure you treasure them. 

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

...Do What You Are

“Here's some practical advice: Do not what you love; do what you are.” 

                            --Penelope Trunk, Founder and CEO of Brazen Careerist

I love this quote. I came across it online.  I have to say I’ve never bought into the whole do what you love theory of starting a small business, because frankly not a lot of people ever really get to do what they love. And let’s face it; don’t we all LOVE a lot of things?  Like food, sex, wine or beer, reading, skiing  etc., but not everyone can make (or should make) a living at those things!

I think it’s more about who you are than what you love when it comes to building a business. It also has to do with your talents and skill set.  Sometimes having a strong skill set can help you build a successful business.  Sometimes it’s the education you have that might help you build a great business. 

I think it’s more important to know how to do the type of business you want to do and like it a lot help but I don’t necessarily think you have to love it to be successful.  

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

...Great Customer Service Stories

I was looking online recently at great customer service experiences. You know the kind where people go way beyond what the customer is expecting.  There were stories that ranged from Morton’s Steakhouse delivering a full meal to a longtime customer who jokingly sent a tweet asking them to meet him when his flight landed to a pilot refusing to take off until a passenger made it to the airport to get to his grandson’s last hours of life. 

Sometimes companies understand when they can capture a customer and turn them into a customer for life.  There are instances where this makes all the difference in a person’s life.  Sometimes it’s a simple thing of knowing that your complaint or problem is being taken care of, to knowing that the people working for that company truly value you and want you to come back.

If you own your own business, how’s your customer service? Has your company, your employees or you ever gone above and beyond for a customer?   Not only can it give you a customer for life, but it can garner you some great PR out of the process.  Train your staff to be aware of these types of customer service experiences and let them know you want them to go above and beyond to give that customer more than they expect.  You just might be surprised at the results. 

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Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter