One Thing I’ve Learned in 2020

This year has been a massive dumpster fire and a few things over the past couple of weeks have prompted me to write this.
And, not it’s not truly training or coaching related, but it applies to this industry and all others.
I’ve learned many things in 2020, but one thing sticks out to me today more than other days.

Small business is more important than you think to our economy, our neighborhoods & community and
our country overall.

Small business is the backbone of our country.
Small business owners create jobs, support the community and provide valued relationships.
If you are looking for someone to sponsor a baseball team for your kids Little League season you don’t ask Amazon or Target, you go to the pizza place or the corner store in your neighborhood.
They support us, and now more than ever, we need to support them.
You have a relationship with them, and they with you. They depend on you and you on them.
Do you think if lost your job the cashier at Target would let you take a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread and pay them later?
Nope.
I’ll be the corner store in your neighborhood would if you are a regular customer.
Small business typically provides a higher level of personal service.
This may not seem important to the younger generation that buys everything online, but it should.
I’m willing to bet that most of my readers train at a home gym or a smaller, independently owned gym.
We are small business. We provide you with a relationship and a place to do what you love. We also need you to stay open.
You can damn well bet that we appreciate you more than Planet F does.
I was reminded of this a few days ago when a client emailed me with an offer.
She wanted to donate $200 to us so that we could give a membership to someone who lost their job during Covid. She said that she is doing this with a few small businesses that she loves and appreciates because it supports the business and it helps someone less fortunate.
For one of the few times in my life, I was speechless.
This, to me was an amazing gesture.
I had no idea how to respond except to stammer out a thank you that may not have sounded as enthusiastic as it was intended.

We have a relationship that she valued enough that it prompted her to do something incredible to help us, and someone else!
And today I had a customer service issue with at a local business that I made a Black Friday purchase from.

I bought a motorcycle helmet from a company called Choppahead online.

Don't know how much a helmet is going to help on this deathtrap.

Let me make it clear, the issue was my fault and not theirs.

I called them and got the OWNER on the phone and explained what happened. I fully expected that I would not be able to return the item because the packaging it came in was thrown away accidentally and he would probably have to mark it down and take a loss on it, and again, this was my fault.
I also want to say that I have purchased stuff from them before and I’m sure he didn’t know it because it was at chopper/hot rod shows and they are usually swamped at the table without much time to chat with people. Regardless, I was treated like the most important customer in the world.

A valued customer.

Not an order number.

I say this because most small businesses will go out of their way to make a repeat customer happy because they have a REALATONSHIP with them. They'll most likely do it for a new one too.
Well, Truth, the owner went out of his way to handle my issue far better than I expected anyone to.

The level of attention and service astonished me. I can tell you that even if he didn’t do what he did, I would still buy from them in the future because this issue was on me, not them and he did not have to do what he did.

As a result of this, they now have a customer for life that will tell everyone to buy from THEM!

Choppahead exemplifies the same motto we have at TPS.
Provide $2.00 in value or service for every $1.00 spent.

That’s been my motto since the day we opened and will always to be.
I think many small businesses operate this way even if they don’t realize it.

So, as we enter the holiday shopping season, when you buy gifts for friends and family, I can’t beg you enough to shop local and/or shop small.

If you can buy what you need in your neighborhood, do it.
If you can’t, get it from a small business somewhere in the USA.

Someplace where the owner who employs people is on site busting his or her ass every day. Someplace where you DM the company and they get back you, it’s usually the owner.
Amazon makes millions every day in profit, but our small businesses are closing all over the country.
Small business is the backbone of America, please, think of them this holiday season, and beyond.

Remember, Small Business in More Important Than You Think

PS:

Check out Truth’s podcast. Google up The Big Truth Podcast.
If you like my logs, you’ll like his podcast.

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Vincere vel mori

C.J. Murphy

December 3, 2020