Getting Schooled

The one thing I have learned since really taking my small business seriously this year, instead of merely making things that people might want to buy, is relearning the business world. What worked for small businesses 5 years ago, no longer works today. This is why you see so many big name brick and mortar stores closing their doors and relying on online sales. This generation of consumers is driven by social media.

This generation of consumers is always on their smart phones and computers. They want to look and shop from the comfort of their own home, so how does one stay competitive in a world where people can shop prices within minutes to find the best deals.

I refuse to give up the notion that customer service and loyalty remains key even though watching LL Bean give up their lifetime warranty on their products so simply given a year or more to make any necessary changes. Why? Well if you read the article, it was part in people shopping their products at garage sales and then asking the company to provide a new product in exchange for the old one, even though they claim the number of opportunities wasn't driven by this claim. I think it has. There will always be those who take advantage of the system to get it to work for them. I mean who would even think to do such a thing right? Yet this generation of consumers is getting smarter and now know how to work the system.

So one needs to be educated on how small business needs to stay afloat in a competitive market, so it is back to school but with those that are successful and willing to pass along their training to you. I have signed up with those small business owners that I can relate to such as Jennifer Allwood, a successful and wonderfully talented entrepreneur that has business classes on such things like using social media to promote your business and why it works so well. She has recently closed her classes temporarily to help those that have signed up and be able to really coach effectively to what works. You simply can't sit on all your social media sites and promote your wares anymore. I mean who wants to follow someone's Facebook or Instagram pages when all they do is be hit with more pictures of what you are selling right?

So it is a slow process for someone like me, but I am learning. I guess the saying that it is never too old to teach an old dog new tricks still applies. Well for this girl, I LOVE learning. I don't think we should ever stop. In fact when I was a corporate trainer for years, the one thing we understood to be successful in the working world is never settle for what you know. Always be learning, and the more you know the more you will provide a valuable asset against someone who is a one trick pony.