Small Fish in A Big Pond

One of the biggest trends for business has been away from small business and towards large corporations. This has been even more the case with the rise of internet shops, but big box stores are notorious for killing off “mom and pop” shops. After all, you can go to your local mom-and-pop hardware store, or you can go to HomeDepot – they will have a much larger selection and better prices too, because they have a massive continent wide logistics network that lets them cut costs in a way local business can’t. Nowadays, you don’t even have to go to a physical store, you can just order something online and it will be delivered within a couple of days.

And yet as the big corporations grow, small business still remains. And some people even prefer it. Going forward as a small business, as the big corps continue to grow, it’s important to focus on the aspects of small business that make people want to choose you.

Even as everyone has been pushed onto the food delivery services, during the loosening of lockdown restrictions people still flock to restaurants to dine-in. You’d think that the convenience of having food delivered to your home would be something people appreciate, over having to go to the restaurant in person. And yet, people want the experience of dining in, as opposed to just the food. A smart business owner can capitalize on it. Find out what your customers value and want, and sell to that.

Some people enjoy a certain sense of patriotism, buying Canadian and supporting fellow Canadians. Farmer’s Markets exist because people put a value on local, organic produce, as part of general environmental activism. Some people really like to haggle – it’s a sport for them to get a much better deal than advertised. Of course, complaining to the manager can do the trick in a big store too, but it’s a lot more natural to do in a small business setting.

Some people prefer small businesses because they think that it’s more accountable. If you have an issue with a bigger company, you have to call their support, and wait on hold, then talk to someone very obviously is reading from a script and can’t help you, and then after wasting an hour or two (or even an entire day – I’ve had that experience) you can reach someone who can actually do something about the subpar service or product you received. And you can’t exactly sue them – while our legal system offers a lot of protections for the consumer (more so than in many parts of the world), they will still try to push you out of a court case through delays, hoping the hours of legal fees will empty your wallet. When you call a small business, if the business owner doesn’t answer you, you’re still going to reach him or her much quicker (and haggle about the price). And the playing field in terms of legal remedies is a lot more even. So it plays to the sense of security, and people prefer to have human interaction – excellent customer service should be your number one selling point!