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Apathy is killing Canadian Business

Guest post by: Gregory Kopchuk

Article Overview: How to be a non-apathetic business owner

Apathy is killing Canadian Business

People for the most part think that the government will take care of them, so they don't need to aspire to be entrepreneurs. What has happened to make business owners like this?

Business, by its very nature, is risky. It requires guts and courage.

A lot of people don't have that kind of guts, and that's fine. They make excellent workers elsewhere-in government, private/public corporations like Canada Post, blue chip companies that see little change from year, seasonal work, or workers in industries that have perpetual supply problems, because of the lack of qualified workers. In fact, a recent survey I commissioned revealed that is a big complaint of many industries. They'd love to hire, but can't, because the people they are looking for aren't out there yet.

But these days, even business owners seem to be taking it slow. They are apathetic. They wait for the government to solve their problems.

To be fair to these businesses, they have every reason to expect help. When large companies fail, and fail big, the taxpayer, every time, is forced to help them. No government can risk losing that many votes. Nor can they really let the large banks collapse.

So smaller businesses see this and expect help. They probably won't get it, unless they represent a lot of votes. Most business owners don't. How can I be a non-apathetic owner?

1. Anticipate. Look for trends that are hurting sales. Fix them now if you can.

2. Call your key customers, or, better, see them in person. Say you hope they are happy, but if not, is there anything you can do to improve service?

3. Advertise where it does the most good. If your customers don't read the newspaper, don't buy space there.

4. Be the kind of business that replies to every email or call from a customer, no matter how trivial or small. People notice things like that.

5. Go the proverbial extra mile. Provide the kind of service that people notice. Customers get crappy service all the time; believe me when I say they notice the difference.

6. Thought about hiring an ActionCOACH? It's amazing what a little advice can do, especially from someone who's been there.

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Article Tags: Business, Business articles, Business owner, Small Business Owners



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Canadian Entrepreneurs...let's chat.... - I thought it would be nice to gather up all the Canadian entrepreneurs on one topic to discuss how everyone is getting along. I just realized Evan is Canadian as well! Hope he's able to join the conversation. Look forward to the chat. By the way, I'm in BC. Phil
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