Weird, I Know
With the holiday season approaching, especially in conjunction with Small Business Saturday, small businesses have been on a rampage encouraging, begging, pleading, demanding, and even guilt-tripping society to "shop small."
These businesses continually make their case about why you and I should shop local. The reasons vary, but the conclusion is always the same: We should all "support" small businesses.
It's widely documented I absolutely love small businesses. I own small businesses! However, it's also widely documented I loathe the phrase "support" when it comes to businesses. Businesses aren't charity. They don't fundraise. They don't inherently deserve our patronage. Their job isn't to get something from us, but to provide something for us.
When is the last time you saw a thriving small business tell people they should "support small business?" I can think of a few examples in my life, but they are rare. Instead, thriving businesses are busy trying to be excellent and, you know, thrive. Weird, I know.
At this very moment, I'm thinking about a few small businesses in my metro that have doubled down on excellence in the past few months. They are absolutely crushing it! They aren't trying to rely on "support" as much as they are trying to earn the right to serve people well, and if done with excellence, earn the right to serve them well again.
Excellence always wins! Consumers will always gravitate toward excellence, whether it's big business or small business, national business or local business. Business owners should spend far less time reminding people to "support" them, and more time just being excellent. Double down on excellence, and then after you've done that, triple down on it.
"It's not that easy, Travis!" I know it's not easy. It's one of the hardest things in the world. But that's the test. That's what determines who thrives, survives, and dies. Ultimately, though, it's not about gaining "support." It's about gaining trust, loyalty, and the privilege to serve someone with excellence. I love this stuff so much!
Small business owners, next time you think about asking someone to "support" your business, perhaps instead double down on excellence. Consumers, next time you wonder if you should "support" a small business near you, perhaps instead you should simply find excellent businesses and joyfully patronize them. The rest will sort itself out.
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