New business 101!

We were up and out of the house early today. Susan was manning the shop solo today so I decided to keep her company. Actually,the decision I made was that whenever there are dogs scheduled ,,2 people will be in the shop,even if that means I have to fill in.
There were 2 dogs scheduled and it should have been a fairly short day.We opened a few minutes after 8 and our first appointment was set for 9. As we are still getting acquainted with the shop the extra quiet time worked out well for us.I had never used P.O.S. system and Susan was not up to speed with it either.No big deal,we figured it out.
Right on time our 9 a.m. came walking through the door.Susan went about her business as I settled in to mine, preparing 50 frisbees and grand opening coupons to hand out at a picnic I am grilling at tomorrow.I also stuffed 200 treat bags to be handed out at the local dog parks in our spare time.
The 11:30 appointment was a no show and it looked like we would be done by noon after cleaning up.
That is not what happened.
Today turned out to be a valuable lesson in "How to open a business 101".What lesson was learned?Like an infant, a new business needs your full and constant attention!
We had 4 people walk in off the street during the 8 hours we were open. Those 4 people yielded 3 appointments.One woman actually went home and brought in her two dogs. Another woman took a rack of business cards and grand opening flyers to put out at the animal hospital she works part time in the neighboring town.
We also had 4 phone calls,which netted another 3 appointments for this week.In total we waked away with 6 appointments,and 3 more potential clients who I am sure will be back. Not to mention what can come from the business cards that are now going to be prominently displayed at the veterinarian's office.
As I drove home,I thought about my friend and colleague Doug Smith who coaches and trains business leaders.He could probably build a workshop around this. In any business start up,you must be omnipresent.
 Having the doors open opens doors. 
It is just that simple. To be successful,be present.There will be many days when no one walks through the door. There will be days when the phone does not ring. None of that matters. There is always something that can be done.Floors to be mopped.,walls to be wiped down,draws to be straightened out,shampoo bottles to be filled or any number of seemingly menial tasks that pop up.The reality is,this is true for any business,new or established.These are good habits to get into.Like anything in life, it's all about the good practices that you develop. Each one builds upon the ones that preceded them. Before you know it,you have built a platform that will support you through the rough times and raise you up to attain unbelievable new heights.
Today was a really good day!



Shabbat Shalom!