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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

I love my customers

I love my customers.  I love the existing customers who contact me 6 months or more in advance just to make sure they reserve their slot.  I love the new customers who decide to "give me a try".  I love the customers who allow me to be creative.  I love the customers who let me try something new or different.  I love the customers who refer me to friends and family.  I love customers who let me know they enjoyed their cake.  I love the customers that allow me to enjoy my business.

Of course, not everyone is "my" customer, and this is something I have had to learn over the past few years.  When I started the business, I would do anything to get a customer, not because I was desperate, but because I thought I providing good customer service.  After doing that for several months, I was miserable.  I was spending a lot of time away from my family and I always felt like I was being walked on.  I posted this dilemma on a cake designers board and received a huge wake up call.  The experienced business owners told me that not everyone was my customer, and I needed to get over it.  They told me it was my business, and I needed to run it in a way that worked for me.  I needed to learn to say "no" in those situations that gave me that funny feeling in my stomach.  I needed to walk away from potential business that was going to give me heartburn.  It can be hard sometimes, because I am such a people pleaser, but in the end, it's what's best for my sanity.

For those of you in the business, have you learned this lesson or did you go into business with this attitude?

3 comments:

  1. It helps your husbands sanity as well ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great topic! I'm slowly getting there... ;)

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  3. I think that everyone starts with an idea of who their customer is, but then takes any business they can get to begin with. eventually you have to limit it or you'll go nuts.

    ReplyDelete

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