Commentary from a Small Business

Discretionary vs. Necessary – Forever at Odds with One Another "Along with a partner, I am presently embarking on our third business venture together. In our previous two, while they worked out well for each of us, we were both of the typical small business mindset. What took priority were of the more obvious nature, the ones that were far and ahead at the top of the list were financing and finding the money to pay the bills, and simply having enough time to get everything done. While at an intellectual level we understood that marketing our business and ourselves were critical to our success, most often at the end of the day there often wasn't the time and/or the money to do this. Somehow, despite our best efforts, this always got moved to the near bottom of the list. After all, it really is a no-brainer if it comes down to a choice between paying the rent and meeting payroll (mandatory), or spending some money to market the business (often viewed as discretionary), isn't it?

At the Beginning We Looked Inward Prior to starting our current venture, we both took a long, hard look at our past businesses. We analyzed both our successes and failures, and had a good look at ourselves. Bottom line we wanted to build a successful business... but not at any cost. We love and enjoy our work, but no longer want to work 24/7. We want to be able to spend time with, and enjoy our family and friends. At work, we want to work with people (employees, clients, etc.) who would appreciate and respect us in the same way we appreciate and respect our suppliers (a lot of whom we consider friends). The challenge was therefore, how to accomplish this.

Telling the Story the Way it Should be Told Regardless of how we looked at it, it all came back to developing the correct message, and setting the right tone for our business from day one. One extremely important lesson we learned from our past experience is that it is considerably easier to introduce yourself properly to the world in the manner in which you want them to perceive you, than it is to change that image after the fact. In this way, right from day one, you attract the clients who are the best fit for your business. This saves an unbelievable amount of time, effort, and expense from the way most businesses currently operate, which is trying to "work" their way up... not impossible, but just a very difficult, expensive, and time-consuming task. For us, establishing the right image and creating the proper tone for the business out of the gate was right up there along with securing adequate financing. This was where Robert came in. Because this was so vital to us, even though I had worked briefly with Robert previously, I still looked around prior to deciding... and came right back to Robert.

It's Who You Are, and There's a World that Needs to Know And I'm delighted to say that he has exceeded our expectations! I am still totally perplexed as to how he managed not only to understand the gist of what our business is, but also how he was able to capture its very essence and our fundamental business objectives at the same time. That takes true skill and talent. Yet perhaps for the business person who may be reading this, I can almost hear what you're thinking, which is most likely along the lines of "I can't afford to do this now – I simply don't have the money and/or time". For you, the best advice I can give you is – you can't afford not to. The way the world perceives you will set the tone for the years and years you will be in business – and once that time is gone, you don't get a re-do. Don't miss out on the opportunities proper business messaging/writing, branding, and marketing communications will bring your way. Even now, after years of running your own business, a makeover can do wonders and help propel you to the next level.

As It Was Written This is just yet another start of our working relationship with Robert and Chester Summerhill. We look forward to having him assist us with our marketing communications efforts going forward. Thanks again, Robert! It is both our pleasure and privilege to be working with you."

Chester Summerhill’s work for Lynette, led by the development and content of her company’s website, may be seen by visiting the Solutions section of Chester Summerhill’s website. You may also wish to visit www.babilostoragesolution.com directly.

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