G'day Walter @Walter Hay,
That is one amazing comment! I read it out loud to Victor. We're both ecstatic!!
Thank you for taking the time to read all my posts. And my story on my website. You've probably read the equivalent of a book! I find that the most touching of all.
Where were you born? Close to Mudgee? Kandos? Lithgow? Bathurst?
Next question. If you're looking out your office window at cattle and kangaroos, you're still in Australia. So where? I do see that you say you're a 'Citizen of the World'. So you've obviously spent much of your life travelling to. And/or living in. Other places.
#1. One of the real battles we fought was with website designers. Not listening to us about where our grassroots are. And secondly, not wanting to tweak words when I learned something new from a customer that would make my site better. We were always put on the backburner.
Sick of that, a customer told Victor, who is an intuitive designer, but not computer literate, that he could build his own website using FrontPage. Wordpress wasn't even a twinkle in anyone's eye then.
With the FrontPage manual glued to his eyes, he designed. And built. Our second website. What you see now is his 6th redesign. With each new site, we became bolder with our desire to emphasise the ruralness of our business. And one of Victor's best decisions was to incorporate my photos that I take on the property every morning at sunrise, into the site. Customers and visitors love them.
We're now on Wordpress. And although Victor designs how the site will look. I'm the backroom gal with the technical expertise that makes it all happen. We sit side by side while we put a site together. We're a perfect team. As always.
#2. It's not hard to provide real value. And real service. All any business owner has to do is have a recollection of how poorly they've been treated at 'XYZ'. Or how bad the product was they purchased. And remember how they never went back. Multiply that by triple digits, and that's how much business a company loses every year because of apathy. But business owners don't seem to relate the poor service. And poor products. To their own business.
An experience that is riveted in my mind is when Victor and I were waiting to buy fresh pet meat in a shop. A customer came in. Who had been in earlier. His order for cat food hadn't arrived the first time he popped in. It was there the second time. While we were waiting. The owner of the shop, a classy gal with style, put his order together. Apologised for him having to come back twice. And popped an additional two, one kilo packs of cat meat, on top of his order. I will never forget the look of surprise. And delight. On that customer's face.
This is sooo easy to do. But too many people count the pennies it costs them to keep a customer happy. Rather than the value they've just added to the customer experience.
#3. Searching for a sewing company who employed men and women with a disability was the result of being thrown out of 'able-bodied' sewing companies because we were too fussy about how we wanted our ironing board cover to be made.
It is the best decision we made. These men and women are loving. And affectionate. Interested in us. And care about us. We're known as 'Mr & Mrs Ironing Board Cover' behind our backs.
How many workshops can you walk into where the people who sew for you are allowed to down tools? And come over and say hello? None.
They've sewn millions of items for us. And only one has been returned because of a manufacturing fault.
#4. Mindset. And reputation. Are everything in business.
With a strong, determined mindset. You can circumnavigate brick walls. Find your way out of dark alleys. Jump hurdles. And get to B. From A.
Reputation is everything. And I mean everything. When everything is stripped from you. All you have left is your reputation. It's the baggage you take with you everywhere you go. It's important that a person's reputation be in pristine condition. With no rough edges.
I can't tell you how many times we've been offered money under the table to bend the rules. Especially when Victor was the dream architect loved by developers.
We instinctively knew to decline the offer.
Because.
A reputation will either keep a door closed. Or magically open one for you.
Being in business isn't hard. It's not easy either. But knowing your values. And sticking to them. Makes the road less travelled a better journey.
Keep in touch! You really have added unexpected sparkle to our day.
I will be thrilled if ever I see an order from you. ~Carol❤
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
