The commitment, the money spent, the hours!
Launching a business is one thing, sustaining it and growing it with all the hard work and dedication is another. That is where passion comes in.
You will be living, breathing, eating and sleeping this “baby” for a long while, most especially when you start, and so having a true fire in your belly about why you started your business in the first place is an important foundation for success. Plus, it will help you get through some of the inevitable rough patches you are bound to encounter.
The startups that I was involved in prior to ScrubzBody, one a discount telecom brand and the other a failed adult ed school, were foundational in what I learned from each, however, there was nothing in either that made my heart happy, so it was difficult to be excited about them.
I have had ScrubzBody since 2006 and there are days, I feel like the luckiest person in the world! That is how joyful, grateful and passionate I feel about catering to my customers, making them feel like they are worth pampering, and solving their skin care issues.
It’s not a bad gig to be in the making people happy business!
I also recognize how customers giving me their hard-earned cash is a privilege and so I want and need to give them an experience every time they walk in. They deserve it! That fuels my enthusiasm as well. Making customers feel special and seen.
Some of the things I and my staff believe in:
Treating customers as if business depends on it. Because it does. It's not just about the customer is always right, rule. It's about remembering to never to take advantage of them and to be forever grateful for the money they spend. This attention to caring detail makes for a relaxed and happy environment which translates to more business.
Go the distance for customers and then go more. Half-rate service these days is rampant. We've even begrudgingly begun to accept it as the norm. I believe in going the extra mile for all customers. A simple thing like staying open late because they were held up in traffic goes a long, long way in creating a loyal customer and one who will bring you their family and friends.
Remembering why I started. If it was purely about money, then I would never have made it, because I lost money the first few years investing back into what we needed to grow. When it’s time to pivot, or shift through a new phase, remembering the reasons why you started is like a reset for your business brain.
Create brand ambassadors. When you are continually taking loving care of your customers, they become a voice for your business and you don't even have to pay them. They share things with their family and friends. Then, when you treat those new people just as well, your original customers feel proud for having recommended you. A win-win situation all around.
Be honest, even when you mess up. Everyone makes mistakes, including businesses. But it's the smart business, in my opinion, that fess up to the problem, addresses it properly, apologizes and truly makes amends to fix the situation. This is another brilliant way to build trust and loyalty.
"Launching a business is one thing, sustaining it and growing it with all the hard work and dedication is another. That is where passion comes in."
Another way I was able to build my business lifestyle was by having the best, people working with me.
When I began in 2006, my late sister, Michelle, started ScrubzBody with me. When she passed, my best childhood friend, Wendy, took over in Michelle’s role, both in production, and as my right-hand person.
It is so satisfying knowing that things are going to be taken care of perfectly without having to be there. It empowers them and frees me. And this in turn keeps my passion for the business strong.
The right team makes business ownership go from a chore to a joy. Trusting my team took me from working in my business to properly working on my business.
Trusting my team allows me time off with my husband and family. It allows me days off to visit my daughter who lives out of state, or to babysit for my grandsons.
Trusting my team allows wings to fly around ideas that I may not have thought of myself.
My best business mentor, Donna Maria, of the Indie Business Network, always stressed the importance of building one’s brand around one’s life and lifestyle. I always took that advice to heart and so, this is another reason the passion never wears off. My work is balanced with my joys and my life and then back again.
What could be better than that?
So that is how you build your life and your business with a feeling of satisfaction and smiles. You have to find all the beauty in the process, empower and love all the customers, and remember why you started in the first place.
