Take that first step

I am going to share an idea that has worked wonders for me over the last year. It started out very, very difficult, but has grown easier as time has passed. It’s not for everyone, but it could work for you.

We had accumulated a “boat load” of debt that was making it impossible to breathe deeply, or think clearly. We had accumulated this in an attempt to maintain a lifestyle that we had become accustomed to over the years.  The interesting thing was the lifestyle really wasn’t as fulfilling anymore. When the economy tanked about 5 years ago we could see that the world had changed. It seems to me that many people I see are doing the same thing. They are trying to maintain a “world” that really no longer exists. For me, the time had come to create a “new, brighter world”.

Shed the debt! Doesn’t matter how you do it, but consumer debt is drowning people under its toxic weight. I am not talking about your mortgage (although we could). We’re talking about one of the most toxic kinds of debt, credit cards. In business it’s very easy to accumulate it since you can convince yourself that it’s necessary to keep the business running, maintaining an image, and thus putting food on your table. The problem is you end up working for the banks, instead of yourself. I know there is nothing worse in small business than working hard day in and day out only to see the profits, when there are any, head to the banks.

Tuck your pride away, seek help from professionals if necessary, and work a way out of it. It’s not easy, but its life changing. Some will tell me that it’s OK to carry some consumer debt as long as you pay off the bills once a month, or use the debt to grow your business. I won’t argue finance, since we are all different. However, in my now “new world” credit card offers that come in the mail are ripped up, and thrown away. Don’t even open them anymore, despite their offers of 0%interest. I find it amazing that after the economy tanked over five years ago the banks are still pulling this kind of stuff. It’s unethical, but when has that ever stopped them?

I write this in an attempt to help people I know who are crying out for help. Everything can seem so overwhelming these days. Where do you start? How can you possibly dig yourself out from under what seems to be a mountain of concerns? Don’t focus on everything right now. Start with just one thing, and watch as those other things start to come into focus more easily. Your new brighter world will translate into your business life, as well as your personal life.

After all, in small business your personal life IS your business life. 

An idea for this holiday season

What is the attraction of “Black Friday”? Is it the excitement of shopping with lots of other people? Is it the supposed deals and sales that are offered? Is it the new way to celebrate The Holiday season? Not being one who celebrates this Holiday (Black Friday), I find it interesting to watch the build up to it.

We bemoan the loss of small business one day, and then rush to the local Target on “Black Friday” to buy stuff on sale.  The profit margin on these sale items is small, unless of course the items are brought in from countries far away where the labor is cheaper. Do they celebrate Black Friday in those countries?

Why do we need a “Small Business Saturday”? American Express in their expansive mood have designed a day when your supposed to support a local small business of your choice. On that day you’re encouraged to pay for your items with your purple, platinum, black, or rainbow Am Ex card. I will not bemoan any small business for celebrating the holiday's that way if they choose. It’s the one day when perhaps paying the exorberant fees American Express charges small business everyday worth it.

I have chosen do something a bit different this year. Maybe you’ll join me in trying it out? When I need a new pair of socks, or a gift for someone special I’ll choose the best quality I can afford, and buy it when I need it. Want to really blow a small business owners mind? Do what I do. Pay cash! Talk about a look of surprise. They will love it, as they now don’t have to give American Express 2-3% + fee off the top. Want to further make their day? Try doing you’re buying on a day other than Small Business Saturday. Now, to feel even better take that 2-3% + fees and give it to a local charity working to help your neighbors. They could really use some help.

This plan won’t work for everybody, but it works for me. It may just work for you.

Lose what doesn't work

What could you give up and not miss? Is there stuff or an attitude that could be dropped for something better? We have been doing this not only at home, but throughout our business. In the past garden centers we're the places you went for all things related to gardening. Now you can pick up some vegetable starts while shopping at Trader Joe's, pick up trees at Costco, and finish off with fertilizer bought online. Who needs a one stop garden center?

Lot's of garden shops have categories or departments that are relics from the past. Perhaps its that that  tool department that always needs dusting, or rose department that always needs pesticide applications? Don't even get me started on that gift department. Some stores do well with their gift department, and others do well with tools, but they might not be for you.

I find it useful to also ask regularly what department, item, or attitude could be discarded to the benefit of the company, and ourselves. We recently went paperless, and it's only made things easier. When we get invoices, business cards, or other papers we need to save they are scanned and stored digitally in "the cloud." I still have the information we need, but without the paper filling up filling cabinets and space. Gifts are another area that never worked for us, so we have no gift department! I don't miss dusting them at all.

It's harder for those of us that have been in the trade for awhile to discard what in the past was a given at a garden store.  What department, method, or attitude could you discard right now without hurting business? Better yet what could you discard and improve business? We added a hydroponic/ indoor garden department since it was a needed in our particular region of northern California. The customers have responded, and we live to do business another day! It took the place of an indoor area that in the past would have been used for gift items. Now we don't have to dust as often.

A success story we can learn from

I just love this story out of SF Gate. "Big Bet pays of for Mary's Chickens" tells the story of a turkey farm in the San Joaquin Valley of California that was on the verge of tanking, as their product was only sold during two months out of the year. In addition their turkeys really weren't much different than the other birds being sold.

They made some changes like branching into chickens and not just turkeys.  They changed the way the birds are grown and processed. They changed their marketing. Now they are doing great!  This story is not just about chickens and turkeys, but a story of any small business that want's to do things differently.

Three things that stood out for me we're, they broadened their selection, so they could sell during the whole year rather than just Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The second is that they grow and process their chickens differently than the larger concerns. Finally, "'even crazier, they paid cash - for everything. My grandfather grew up in the Depression,' David Pitman explained. 'He didn't believe in borrowing what you couldn't afford to pay for.'"

They grow heirloom birds not found elsewhere. They grow and process them organically, and with care. They market their birds differently than the big processors, and finally they pay cash and don't take on the bankers as partners. How could we use these ideas in our own businesses?