 You’ve probably heard the saying that small businesses are what fuel the economy. According to a Canadian Federation of Independent Business report, just over 90 per cent of Canadians believe that running your own business is a rewarding career path. So forget the supermarkets – I’ve compiled 10 reasons on how smallness can be viewed as an advantage.
1. Customized service – In a small shop, you get the opportunity to chat with customers on a daily basis. You don’t need consulting firms to analyze the wants and needs of your customers. Instead, you can do it via a simple conversation.
2. Reactive buying – Fewer supplies and space to fill means it’s easy to determine what sells through and what doesn’t. There’s no time wasted going to corporate office to try and speed through new stock after it was cleared out during yesterday’s afternoon rush. Instead, you can just pick up the phone and make the order in seconds.
3. Multi-taskers – Both the owner and employees at a small business are used to wearing different hats. If someone calls in sick, the entire shop won’t shut down. Everyone is trained in a number of different areas and can easily step up to the plate.
4. Networking – Small-business minds usually think alike and other businesses in the community are usually open to cross-promotional opportunities that will benefit both companies.
5. Short ladder – If a customer has a complaint or wants to deal with a manager, they won’t face long lines and an obstacle course of assistant managers. At many small shops, customers don’t have to worry about company policies. Instead, you can often meet the customer halfway and transform the negative experience into a pleasant one.
6. Flexibility – In a small shop, it’s easy to try a new product. You can order a small shipment of a new variety and pass it on to your best customers. If it works, you can keep it and if it doesn’t, you can try something else. Customers love to try something fresh, instead of the same-old they’ve been seeing for years.
7. Technology – By using technology like websites and e-mail you can cover much of the same marketing and advertising ground as a large retailer. Websites help get your name out there and let potential customers see what your shop is all about. With e-mail, you can market directly to customers about in-store deals or send out newsletters to tell them what’s going on in your shop.
8. Intimacy – Shoppers get frustrated when they can’t find exactly what they are looking for. Rows of endless products are overwhelming. In small shops, you can place your biggest sellers right in front of the customer. It also makes it easy for your staff to pinpoint exactly where that square vase may be.
9. Serving a niche – Small businesses don’t have to be everything to everyone. Your customers trust that you are the expert in your field and understand that you only offer one variety of a popular bloom because it’s the best.
10. You’re truly invested – Most everyone knows that entrepreneurs and small business owners work long hours in their shops. They know you’re passionate about flowers, and what better person to sell them a bouquet?
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