About Mom & Pop Stores (small business) vs. Big Box Stores

Earlier today, I saw the image that accompanies this post and it got me thinking. While I do understand the reason behind supporting the Mom and Pop merchants. I wholeheartedly agree with buying local and how much sense it makes to support the small business, heck I am a small business. I want my company to be a big conglomerate one day and there is nothing wrong with shooting for the moon.

However, if my company or any other Mom and Pop operation makes it big and by big I mean HUGE!!! What then?

Will people forget that the now huge conglomerate was once a small Mom and Pop outfit?

I guarantee they will forget because instead of reveling in the success that Sam Walton had in taking the small store known as Walton's Five and Dime in Bentonville, Arkansas and turning it into the planet's 18th largest public corporation, they look at it as if it was Godzilla invading their hometown coming to squash the competition like little model cars.

The problem has nothing to do with the Big Box Stores and everything to do with the Mom and Pop stores. If they had a product and service that was better than anything any of the Big Box Stores could think of offering then people would gladly hand their money over to the Mom and Pop stores. However, just like you can't beat a dead horse you can't revive a business that has already decided that they can't compete against the big box stores.

So don't blame the Mega Marts of the world, you blame Walton's Five and Dime's competitors because if they had worked just that much harder, they would have been able to keep Walton in check and never gave the Five and Dime a chance to get off the ground, expand and grow into the mega mart it is today.

So to all you Mom and Pop organizations, my company included: You want to stay alive and compete with the Godzilla of your specific industry well then time to start leaving a big footprint. By Big Footprint, I mean do everything you can to become recognized in your field, in your industry.

Do what it takes to become known as the de facto go to company. Sure, the big company may have a large staff pool by which they can draw from but I guarantee all of that is moot.

They don't have what you have: (1) a lot less bureaucracy, (2) fewer middle managers, and (3) quicker access to the top. I promise that if you write me an email it will go directly to me and not some middle manager who may or may not have the authority to even reply to that email with a simple "Thanks for your email."

There it is, spelled out in black and white. The three things that will help you edge out your competition. Take those three items and exploit them to your advantage. Take advantage of those three facts and own them. Make them yours and your company's because they may be your company's saving grace.

Remember, people are not going to give you their hard earned money just because you are a Mom and Pop operation. You are going to have to take it from them in exchange for a quality product, a quality service, and above all a quality attitude.

What say you?


As always you can read this blog post in its original location at http://daveguerra.blogspot.com

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