Business

They are out there but they are the exception rather than the rule.  Business that set themselves up as a tax rort.   Merril and I think we experienced one.  We wanted financial advice.  We went to a shop we had seen but never been to before.  The place seemed so unready to give advice.  The business card presented needed to have a name crossed out and another put there.  Everything about the place screamed we are here but not set up to serve.  We never went back, and the shop is no longer there.
Prior to Covid19 there were over 2 two million small businesses in Australia.  Those in retail made up the most but there were those in agriculture, food, accommodation, rental, construction, and others.
Mostly businesses set up with a dream.  They see whatever they are doing as a way to make a living at least for themselves and possible for others if things work out.  There are also big players out there that can stand in the way.  It amazes me how many shop fronts are saying they are looking for a place with good exposure and cheaper rent.  Empty shop fronts seem to abound.
Most businesses seem to be built on more than “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”  As well as a number of small businesses, we have big players in Burpengary.  They seem to have done their homework and know that despite the presence of others there is room for them.  The market is here and growing.
When Merril and I want work done we often get several quotes.  Sometimes the cheapest is the best, but often the player that is more expensive offers more.  I always felt that in leading the table tennis club it was better to have too much and offer quality rather than to have just enough and offer the bare minimum.  I always wanted to be cheap, but never cheap and nasty.
A key for me is quality.  Sometimes we pick a particular brand because it has a good reputation.
Along with quality I have always responded well to is a company good on customer care.  A company where it seems the customer is the focus - rather than just the profits.  A guy at work used to rate food outlets on the number of people he saw outside.  He did not go to places that seemed to have no people waiting.  On the other hand, when he saw lots of people he guessed they must have had a good experience and kept coming back.
I really am like that.  At food outlets I determine if what I get is like someone would make for themselves.  If it is, it is usually good.  If it is not, I do not go back.  Well I may go back a few years later as the place may have changed hands, or they may have changed their ways.  But it is true that first impressions really count.
Whatever the motive in starting the business it is always a chasing a dream thing.  Some work out and go from strength to strength.  Others fade away and are never heard of again.   Still others are happy with where they are at.  They meet their needs and that of others.
I like what Gandhi said.  “If patience is worth anything it must endure to the end of time.”  For this little black duck to frequent a business it needs to have an obvious care for customers.  If they do, I tend to keep returning.