James Grunke, CEO of Erie Chamber and Growth Partnership has an informative weekly enews, 5 Things You Should Know This Week. Included last week was “Summer Tips for Small Business Owners”. The article had good tips for creating little waves in your marketing but I have a few summer tips that will make BIG waves in your business.
Get Outside
Outside your box, outside your neighborhood, outside your comfort zone. Partner with another local business. Organize a pop-up somewhere in town. Go outside where the crowds are. Align your business with outside activities going on around town. Enhance your curb appeal by placing inventory outside. Do one thing that gets you and your business outside.
Take a Road Trip
We live between three vibrant cities – Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo. Check their markets and find companies doing what you do here. Visit them and see how they do it. Call ahead and see if you can have 30 minutes with the business owner. If you approach with recognizing what is outstanding and unique about them and the fact you are interested in learning, most business owners will be happy to help by sharing what their experience has been. Have a few questions prepared. Ask them how they do something you are struggling with. Ask them about a new product you are thinking of launching and if they had success with something similar. Getting out of town gets you to see others doing what you do in their own way in their own city. There you can find inspiration and creativity for your next big idea or offering.
Go on a Vacation
I hope you are taking a vacation this summer with your family or friends to just have a great time. But I also encourage you to take a vacation with your business in order to nurture its vision. The only way your business gets recharged is when you slow down enough to reflect, review and rethink what you do, and how you do it. Just as you would chose a destination for your travels, the destination you visit while you’re on vacation with your business is the big vision you have for it in your mind. If you don’t visit this vision, this imaginary place often, it will cease to exist. So take time this summer to visit your vision. Be inspired by how it feels, what it offers and how it serves your customer. Bring back from those travels, one or two things, that you can begin to implement. Choose things that bring your business closer to that vision in your head. Just like you bring back souvenirs from a trip, think of these action items as your souvenirs. By implementing these things into daily operations, every day you will be reminded of that great vacation you took with with your business and the beautiful vision you want to make happen for you and your customers, the vision that inspires you everyday to do what you do, and do it even better.