All of the small business owners I’ve interviewed in recent weeks have one thing in common: they love what they do and they are dedicated to it. This became evident to me the other day as I was walking from one of the merchants to another. I realized I never heard any of them talk about money.
We might suppose that the primary reason to get into business for yourself is to make money. Well sure, this makes perfect sense. We all need money to live and who doesn’t want more of it? But it turns out this isn’t factor number one when setting up your own shop. It might not even be number two or three.
I’ve spoken to owners and managers of flower shops, massage studios and a spa, a jeweller, an accountant, a chiropractor, a music store owner, a veterinarian and others, and have heard these merchants describe in detail about how passionate they are about their line of work, how much they love their clients and customers, and how they want to make a difference in people’s lives.
A couple of them told me that if they really wanted to make more money, they certainly would have gone into a different business. When I asked them what keeps them going when finances are tight, they said it’s about being able to do things their own way and seeing their customers happy with their products and services.
Both of the flower shop owners told me their days sometimes never seem to end and there’s no such thing as a forty-hour work week. They said when flowers are purchased for a certain event it is imperative that they are fresh and delivered on-time. They stake their personal reputations on this.
The veterinarian I spoke with operates a hospital for cats. She said her greatest frustration comes from not being able to do more to help cats whose health has long been compromised due to a number of factors.
The accountant told me an interesting anecdote about a day when his poorest and richest clients visited him at the same time. He said that as the rich man walked in, the poor man was outside shoveling snow because he insisted on paying for his tax return somehow. He didn’t have the money.
The music store owner cherishes his customers that come to the store regularly because they still want to buy their music the old-fashioned way. They visit with friends that they met years back at the store. These are people that they never would have known if it wasn’t for the store.
The spa owner and massage therapists appreciate the personal and trusting relationships they develop with their clients. These three women all said it’s a wonderful feeling to see a client leaving happy, relaxed and feeling better about themselves and their body.
Meanwhile, I’m glad to have the chance to meet these merchants and learn firsthand about the reasons they got into business for themselves, and the things that keep them motivated.