A young woman and her mom came in yesterday and asked for my advice about opening a dress shop (a women's clothing store.....) on Minnesota.
Imagine my surprise ~~~~~~
"Er, you know I'm pretty skeptical of high end businesses?"
"Oh, yes. My sister" (a good customer of mine who'd obviously overheard one of my rants) "suggested that I get the negative side from you."
Heh. Nothing like having a reputation....
"I see. Well, how do I put this in a way that won't I squash your little heart? You see, we in Bend like to take your money, spank you, thank you, and send you on your way...."
Well, that's what I wanted to say. Here's what I actually said.
"You realize there are already 6 dress shops on this street?
"You realize that Bend relies on tourism, especially downtown, and that we see that tourism mostly in 4 months?
"You realize that Bend has a population of only 78k and most of them don't shop for dresses in downtown Bend?"
"You realize that most of my longterm neighbors left because they thought rents were too high?"
"You realize that most downtown businesses are relatively new and aren't proven moneymakers yet?"
"You realize that there has been a high rate of turnover in the downtown area?"
And so on. Gently trying the Socratic method of enlightenment.
But a store owner will do what a store owner wants to do, or they'd never be store owners in the first place.
I sent her next door to the jewelry guy John who is still pretty positive after 3.5 years. And I sent her down to the road to a long established dress shop where I know one of the owners and thought there was a decent chance that if they mentioned that "Duncan sent me," that they might get some information they could use.
I read once, that the Small Business administration up at the college felt they were doing their job if they put prospective owners through the mill and made them realize on their own that maybe their business plan wasn't workable.
Maybe I should've been cruel to be kind.
Then again, maybe she's a genius that will surmount all obstacles and become Chanel number 6 and tell interviewers in decades hence about that awful little man who told her she wouldn't make it....
It's a lot easier to make advice to the cyberworld than to have some eager young person ask you to your face.
Imagine my surprise ~~~~~~
"Er, you know I'm pretty skeptical of high end businesses?"
"Oh, yes. My sister" (a good customer of mine who'd obviously overheard one of my rants) "suggested that I get the negative side from you."
Heh. Nothing like having a reputation....
"I see. Well, how do I put this in a way that won't I squash your little heart? You see, we in Bend like to take your money, spank you, thank you, and send you on your way...."
Well, that's what I wanted to say. Here's what I actually said.
"You realize there are already 6 dress shops on this street?
"You realize that Bend relies on tourism, especially downtown, and that we see that tourism mostly in 4 months?
"You realize that Bend has a population of only 78k and most of them don't shop for dresses in downtown Bend?"
"You realize that most of my longterm neighbors left because they thought rents were too high?"
"You realize that most downtown businesses are relatively new and aren't proven moneymakers yet?"
"You realize that there has been a high rate of turnover in the downtown area?"
And so on. Gently trying the Socratic method of enlightenment.
But a store owner will do what a store owner wants to do, or they'd never be store owners in the first place.
I sent her next door to the jewelry guy John who is still pretty positive after 3.5 years. And I sent her down to the road to a long established dress shop where I know one of the owners and thought there was a decent chance that if they mentioned that "Duncan sent me," that they might get some information they could use.
I read once, that the Small Business administration up at the college felt they were doing their job if they put prospective owners through the mill and made them realize on their own that maybe their business plan wasn't workable.
Maybe I should've been cruel to be kind.
Then again, maybe she's a genius that will surmount all obstacles and become Chanel number 6 and tell interviewers in decades hence about that awful little man who told her she wouldn't make it....
It's a lot easier to make advice to the cyberworld than to have some eager young person ask you to your face.