Business, life and the broken coffee machine.


This morning I had a bit of a block so I decided it was time for a coffee and walked up to Sliced. And there horror of horrors the coffee machine was broken! Dum dum dummm (said like in a movie).

So I stopped to have a chat with Jane (owner) about the weekend and the life of a business owner. Standing in the warm kitchen, while the coffee machine was being tended to and a carrot cake made, I was thinking it’s pretty tough sometimes when you own a small business.

Being a business owner you have generally just created a job for yourself, that doesn’t pay that well, has more stress and a high likelihood of failure.

Back to the coffee. Jane has created an expectation of having very good coffee available and because of the broken machine won’t be able to deliver on that for a few hours. Customers will have to decide a) not to have a coffee or b) go to the next place down the road.

Will they come back is the question that popped into my head? Well, yes because of the way Jane is handling the situation and the relationship she has with her customers.

And that is the life part. Your business is your life when you own a small business and your customers become friends. So when something breaks down most will still stop for a quick chat, take a raincheck on the coffee and go to work. Because it’s not just about the coffee.

Have a great week.

P.S. Selfday is this Wednesday the 24th June. There are thousands having their self-esteem dented in NZ and globally with the recession on top of all the other challenges of living in this time of change.Go to http://www.internationalselfesteem.com to find out about the day and how you can make a difference.