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What Small Business Means to Me
We asked a few of our Marketplace partners to share with us what running a small business means to them. Here are just a handful of their inspirational responses.
Brad Stieg of Tattler Canning Lids
“Being a businessman, whether small or large, means providing customers what they want, when they want it, at a good value and quality. If that formula works for the customer as well as the business owner, you have a free market of exchange and everyone benefits. The one thing that I believe sets a true entrepreneur apart is, even after multiple failures, the entrepreneur will continue trying while others would have quit much earlier.”
Debbie Pruneri McKeown of Migliore Gourmet Foods
“My goal is to create a family business, built upon my father’s legacy that can be handed down to future generations. Food has always been the center of our family gatherings, so for me, it represents celebration and happiness. I enjoy the many challenges of producing and managing our core products. I find reward in sharing recipes and creating a “gourmet home cooking” experience with customers. It fulfills my need for purpose, plus it makes my father proud!”
Bob Parker of Parker’s Peanuts
“Just about as early as I can remember, I have been involved with the family business. My siblings and myself would help "dear ole dad" with the fun task of hand labeling the peanut bags. One of the perks, he would pay me a penny a bag, so by the end of the week I would have enough money to buy the candy of my choice at the local store. I feel that this gave me the drive early on and the "never give up" work ethic that I have today and is something I intend to pass on to my children. It is important for me to keep my father’s dream and entrepreneurial spirit alive. He worked many long hours to get Parker's Peanuts off the ground and I feel that it is my duty to him to keep the quality of the peanuts at their highest possible level. Connecting with customers and hearing their feedback always inspires me.”
Randy Taylor of Nuts for You
"One of the biggest joys of owning a small business for me personally is to see the happiness in the faces of our customers when we deliver a gift given from someone else--It is priceless. There is one thing that I have learned after 15 years of owning a business, and it is this: My customers are buying ME just as much as they are buying my product. You can have the highest quality merchandise in the world, but if you can't establish a personal relationship with your customers, you are out of business."