%archive_title% | Simple Small Business

3 of the 20 MUST Know Laws to Building a Successful Small Business

1. Find a Need & Fill It! (Blah, Blah, Blah!)
You have heard this a million times before, but it is the core, the root, the foundation of any business. Business is about serving people’s needs. The more people you help, the greater you are rewarded. It is not about doing what you love. Although if you can accomplish both, then that’s great. But as catchy and simple as this phrase is, unfortunately there is a little more to it.

One of the biggest problems people have when starting a business is what I call “Dedication Justification“. Justifying what they want to do by concocting some need that really does not exist for their product or service. Dedicated Hobbyists and Artists are notorious for this. For example, Let’s say you are an artist and want to start a business selling other people’s creative works as well as your own. So you convince yourself that there is a real need in your town for great art. The only reason more people in your town don’t buy art is that there is no place to purchase great art. Guess what? Chances are you are lying to yourself and you don’t even realize it.

Small Businesses and Customer Relations

I have been told that I am an overly sensitive and emotional person. This is a trait in which I fully believe I inherited from my grandmother. In some cases it has been a hindrance, especially when it comes to running a simple small business. I am a people-pleaser and my feelings can be hurt very easily. However, in most cases it is that exact characteristic that helps me to genuinely care for others and have a deep desire to assist in their well-being. This has also been a key factor in the success of all of my businesses.

You are probably asking yourself right about now, “Okay, what does this have to do with running my simple small business and customer relations?” It has so much to do with what I think is the single most important thing in customer relations. Empathy. Unless you have empathy for your clients and customers, how can you even begin to offer them a product or service that meets their needs? You have to be able to put yourself in their place and connect with them emotionally to fully understand what is driving them to even consider purchasing a product or service from you.