Little Fish Have A Huge Impact

As a little fish in the pond of big businesses, it's sometimes hard to recognize the impact you have on your industry and our economy. According to Statistics Canada, 2008:

• 1997-2007 - Small firms accounted for 37% of all jobs created

• 2007 - 48% of the total labor force worked for small enterprises

• 30% of all Canadians either run or work for a small business

• 2006 - Small businesses accounted for approximately 23% of Canada's GDP (almost double compared to two decades ago)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says,

"Small businesses are, in fact, the backbone of the Canadian economy, accounting for 98% of all businesses in Canada."

Be proud to be small. Next time someone says that your business is too small; tell them that you at least have backbone.

Keep swimming Little Fish!

Are You Striking Out?

As a little fish in the pond of big businesses, it's easy to get excited about every opportunity that comes your way. Carefully analyzing your options to be sure they line up with your business model and planning, will have you making better decisions for a more profitable future.

Just because you're being offered a new product or service, it doesn't mean it's the right answer for your business and it certainly doesn't mean you have to subscribe to it.

Analogy

You've finally been invited to play in the big league and you can't wait to get up to bat. Before you can blink a few times, the pitcher is throwing balls at you and you start swinging away. Some of them are a bit beyond your reach, but you're so grateful to be playing their game, that you swing at every baseball that comes your way and strike out on the third pitch.

Know your plan and how you want to play your game and before you know it, you'll be winning.

Keep Swimming Little Fish!

Do Your Customers Come Back For Seconds?

As a little fish in the pond of big businesses, it's not enough to rely on passion alone for what you do, to keep bringing in customers. You need to have a plan with processes in place, so that when a client decides to give you a break and try your company, you're able to deliver on your brand's promise of quality, value, service, results and integrity. You may not get a second chance to impress them.

Analogy

A turkey that smells good, looks good and tastes good is exactly what your guests expect, but the problem is that you've never cooked a turkey before. You're don't know how long to thaw it for if you've bought a frozen bird, you don't have any stuffing recipes, you don't know if you should season it with sage or sugar, you're not sure at what temperature to cook it at, and you don't know for how long to cook the turkey. All you know is that you've sent out the most welcoming and mouth watering invitation for a turkey dinner, that all who received it, accepted it with great excitement.

When Thanksgiving day finally came, you thought you could just go ahead and start cooking with no preparation. Your guests sat in anticipation while their tummies rumbled, but when they cut into their turkey, it was pink. Not only did they not eat what was on their plates, they clearly didn't ask for seconds and gracefully declined next year's invitation to turkey dinner.

Keep Swimming Little Fish!

Should You Continue Growing Your Business Once You've Reached Your Goal?

As a little fish, you start out with a vision of what you want your business to look like in a few years. You work diligently at mastering your trade and developing your client base and before you know it, your business is full. However, once it's full, you stop, and switch your vision from growth, over to preservation.

Have you considered what would happen if you stopped growing your business?

Analogy

One drop at a time, you've filled your cup to the brim. You hold and balance your cup, so that nothing spills out from it and don't dare add to it, because your cup may overflow.

If you don't add fresh water to you cup:

1 Your water will get stale and smelly and no one will want to come near it

2 Your water will evaporate, leaving you with less and less every day

Continually growing in knowledge, adding improved methodologies and developing your expertise, means you're ultimately adding clients and positioning your company for longevity!

Keep Swimming Little Fish!