Oh, the things I’ve learned being a business owner for 30+ years! Many of those things would make you cringe, so I’ll leave those out of this post. I’m going to keep it to the 5 most important things I’ve learned, in no specific order.
Here are the 5 things I’ve learned as a business owner.
You can’t please all the people, all the time!
People are, well, finicky to say the least.
They have preconceived notions of:
- how you should & shouldn’t do something
- what you should offer
- etc., etc.
So, it’s a wise person who knows up front, that sooner or later you are going to piss someone off.
As a new business owner, you’ll probably try to please EVERYONE at first. Ultimately you’ll learn that won’t work – because you’ll be miserable!
The customer is NOT always right!
Just don’t tell them that! (If you do, well, expect an explosion! But it is a good way to rid yourself of a particularly demanding customer or client.)
One reason that many businesses still go by the “customer is always right” standard is that they know how important their customers are. … The customer is always right because as a business you want your customers to return as well as feel welcomed and appreciated.
Yes, customer’s are important but believe me they are not always right!
In my “day” job as a software developer, one of the things I do on a daily basis is provide tech support for our software. I can’t tell you some of the crazy things people want and demand!
You’re not going to be everyone’s cuppa coffee, tea, whatever.
What you offer for goods and/or services are probably not going to appeal to every potential customer that visits your website. This holds true for those people that you might meet in real life.
Don’t take it personally.
Don’t undervalue yourself, your goods or your services.
Yes, it’s a difficult time we live in right now. Money is tight and now more than ever most people are watching their pennies carefully. Do not undervalue yourself or what you have to offer.
Make sure your prices are fair and reasonable for what it is that you provide.
Running a business is NOT easy!
If it was, there would be no employees only business owners.
Don’t be fooled by the video’s, webinars, articles that tell you how easy it is to start and run a business. That’s bull!
When you run a business you wear all the hats…..
- marketer
- social media manager
- blogger
- website developer
- bookkeeper
The list is endless and you’re only one person doing all those things. And, you have to learn how to do them ALL!
{Today is Day 6 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. The suggested topic was to share a valuable lesson learned.}
Here’s a bonus thing I’ve learned as a business owner……..
Don’t be afraid to fire a customer!
Sometimes there’s that one customer who demands the most outrageous things – like 24/7 support or access to you for something they’ve purchased from you.
When people continuously make outrageous demands (in a not so nice way), don’t be afraid to fire them.
So, there you have it – 5 Things I’ve learned being a business owner for 30+ years.
If you’re a business owner, what things have you learned?
I don’t think “the customer is always right” is taught anymore. I have gone to a restaurant where I learned in the training they are taught to never apologize. Wow. I appreciate the idea of firing a customer. We are best to let go of those with whom we have a destructive connection. It isn’t goodf for any of us!
Hi Julie, maybe it isn’t taught anymore – but I know customers (in our software business) feel that they are always right and entitled! LOL. On the other hand, firing a customer can be a very freeing experience.