Before we delve into this topic, I want to emphasize that whether you currently own your own business or not, this article absolutely applies to you. In 2010 and beyond, everyone, and I mean everyone, is their own brand. They are their own business. And we must all see ourselves as such.
The 'Old' Embracing the 'New'
Personally, I’ve been a small business owner for about 10 years now. During this time, albeit only a decade, the qualities of what made a great small business owner before are completely different than what they are today. The world in which we live is developing at a faster and faster rate. Technology is mutating at incredible speeds. And with it, the normal patterns of human behavior seen just a few years ago are now gone by the wayside.
So the question begs—What makes a small business owner go from 1.0 to 2.0?
Forget Daddy:
Although this topic is very general, it’s important that it starts off our list. I was talking with a business owner not too long ago. This man was in his 50s and although he was a nice fellow, he was open about the fact that he didn’t care too much for the Internet because he ‘has been doing his marketing the same ways for years’. Essentially, this man was suffering from what I call the ‘Daddy Did It’ syndrome.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a small business owner tell me something to the sort of, “My dad was in this business for 30 years and he taught me everything I know. He was very successful and I’ve been successful for a long time doing it his way. Why change now?”
Such a paradigm is one of the biggest reasons why businesses are closing their doors left and right. In fact, when I was talking with the gentleman mentioned above, I had a strong desire to tell him that he, because of his archaic mindset, was going to drive his company into the ground. Notwithstanding, I only cringed inside as I realized that another company would soon be left behind.
Embrace Technology:
This goes right along with ‘Forgetting Daddy’, but business owners, no matter what their age, need to start embracing everything there is about technology. Whether it’s computers, Ipods, GPS, etc, all these tools need to be viewed in a positive light by business owners and taken advantage of in some way to benefit their business. The idea of being a small business owner in 2010 and barely understanding how to send email may sound preposterous to some, but the sad truth is that it’s a reality for many, especially the older generation. Frankly put, people need to stop using their age as an excuse to be poor business owners and marketers.
Utilize Social Media:
Guess what folks? Social mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, etc, aren’t going anywhere any time soon. In fact, their growth continues to be exponential each and every day. We are getting to the point that if a business does not have a Twitter account, or does not have a Facebook fan page, then they will be viewed as antiquated and out of touch by consumers, and such is an unpleasant image for any business.
Information Icon:
As everyone is well aware, I’m a huge proponent of blogging for businesses, no matter what its size. In this information age we are all heavily engaged in, the individuals and companies that supply their prospects and customers with the most remarkable and informative content will soon find themselves at the top of their industry. Just having a dull website that focuses solely on self-promotion isn’t nearly enough these days. In fact, such a design can very much hurt a business and its image. I submit that a business website should only talk about the company/business with 25% of its information. The other 75% (at least) of the website should be all about the consumer. It should answer their questions. It should enlighten, inform, inspire, and teach. Such are the qualities of Web 2.0 and such should be the ambition of today’s small business owner.
Video:
The use of video, especially YouTube, will only grow with time. This is because we are a visual, TV driven society. Less and less people are actually looking at words for their information. Instead, they’re turning their attention to the screen and using such mediums as YouTube to find the answers they may be looking for. A 2.0 business owner finds ways to leverage video in all facets of his business. Literally, there is not a single business out there that could not use the power of video to shape its brand and educate the consumer.
So those are my top 5 essential qualities of a small business owner in 2010. What qualities would you add to the list? Do you agree with these points or are there areas where you’re of a different opinion. As always, your comments and questions are very much welcomed and appreciated.
