LETS GET STARTED
In any business you are always going to face negativity no matter what industry you are in, but over the years I have learnt ways to deal with not taking things personally and protecting myself from negativity to the point now where not really much phases me, so I thought I would put this into blog to help someone out there get through, as I used to be such an anxious mess about it all but I definitely feel like the business world hardens you as a person to not take things too personally. You are always going to find negativity out there, but it is how you choose to take it that will change your outlook on everything.
We can either let it consume us, or acknowledge it, deal with it and move on without letting it affect our day to day lives.
Over the years things I have dealt with sooo much, from issues of people copying us, customer complaints, customers being rude, being “too expensive” and friends or family maybe not supporting you as you would like them too and not to mention instagrams ever changing algorithm. But as the years have gone on, the more I have become desensitised to it, learning that
1) You can’t change the situation or person no matter how hard you try.
2) The more attention you give a situation the more energy you spend on this and the more it gets to you. Let that sh*t go!
HOW NOT TO SPEAK TO SMALL BUSINESS'S
(and definitely don’t threaten them lols)
During the 6 years of having a business we have encountered a fair few complaints – some fair and some not so fair. The thing is with some customers (and not all of them – 98% of our customers are lovely!) is they don’t actually realise that you are another human being, some speak to you like absolute sh*te and have no conscience about it, and some just really lack basic communication skills. Over the years we have been spoken to like crap, and I remember one lady actually threatened us because we put the wrong colour balloon and topper onto her daughters cake, this was in the very early days where I thought every complaint was the end of the world, she literally said and I remember this message “you better watch your back now”… how ridiculous is that? So of course I cried all day whilst Jayne (mum and business partner) told me to stop being silly. I thought everyone in the world was going to think we couldn’t do our jobs properly and was honestly ready to quit, all I could think is “this is just not worth it”, see you try your absolute best and there is always someone out there to tear you down or maybe not be as understanding as you should be! But what you HAVE to realise in this game is that nothing is personal and if someone is being so vile to you, that’s an issue that they have within themselves, because lets face it, a content, happy and calm person wouldn’t speak to you like that.. I wouldn’t dream of speaking to anyone the way we have been spoken to over the years AND just because we offer a service does not mean we let people walk all over us, treat people as you want to be treated yes but stand up for yourself. If someone is rude to me, don’t expect to be spoken to back nicely… I truly do believe in this life you give what you get and if everyone was just a little bit nicer – im sure us bakers would be more accommodating to solving an issue rather than if someone is being rude it makes us not want to help… MANNERS COST NOTHING PEOPLE!
And remember, if you purchase from a small business and you love it – be sure to tell them, customers are more likely to complain when something is wrong than when they love something… and sometimes we can latch onto the negative comments and forget allllll the positive ones, so it is super important to leave good reviews, shout the businesses name from the roof tops and tell others about it!
Saying that – 98% of our customers are so so lovely and they make what we do possible and we are so so grateful for you all.
“WoW ThAt iS ToO ExPeNsIvE”
Another point we have come across is the “wow that’s expensive, I can get this cheaper at _______” if you think it is too expensive DON’T SAY IT, just go to the other place, this isnt a market… you can’t barter with us. If it is too expensive pop back to the cheaper shop and say nothing. Something your customers or potential customers need to put into consideration is whether you work at home, the quality of ingredients you use, how many staff members you have etc etc.
Working from home means you have no overheads to pay, no shop rent, not many staff members and so on, when we worked from home it was so much easier, our prices were lower, we didn’t have 6 staff members, no coffee machine, no ice cream, which means less costs going out. If you are baking from home as you read this… ENJOY IT!!! It’ll be the more chilled time of your career and the cheapest part, although you may feel like you don’t get out your home, enjoy the time you spend there because once you branch out – everything just becomes moreeeeeexpensive meaning price rises!
“But I can get it cheaper at tesco” okay Karen well you go to tesco then and see if it tastes as nice as it is if its made by hand, using top quality ingredients and made with bloody love. Again another comment that you should probably not make to a small independent business.
We try our absolute hardest to make sure everything is affordable and not too expensive but with the ever rising costs of literally EVERYTHING it’s so hard – but if you still continue to deliver high quality products then your customers will always follow, but do put your prices up because otherwise you are basically loosing money to please other people – sad but true, know your worth!!
RUDE CUSTOMERS
So how do we deal with customers being rude you ask? Sometimes it truly is just easier to smile and be kind, sometimes people are frustrated or going through something that you don’t know, so it is easier to just smile and wave – you can’t be angry at someone that’s being nice to you, diffuse the situation and go home feeling like a better person! Other times if someone is being unreasonable and just plain rude, stand your ground and let them know that its not acceptable, we are all human beings and just because we in a business are offering a service does not make us beneath anyone. Sometimes when your running a business people can try and take advantage and try and get a service discounted or for free if they think they complain, or think they can mess you around with appointments or collection times, don’t be too nice and never do things you don’t want to do, don’t feel pressured to say yes because you don’t want to loose the customer as you won’t loose them, they will respect your boundaries more by doing this and you know what, if you do loose them its their loss!
I think we have covered quite a large area of things businesses deal with and I haven’t gone into massive details however if there is a topic you would like us to cover just DM us on @littleblondebakes on instagram, we would love to hear your feedback. And remember – do those things that make you happy, don’t let people mistreat you and don’t take anything personally!
Hi Jane and team,
Just read your blog on dealing with negativity, a great read and so true. we too have had a fair few of the points you raised happen to us (and i dare say will do in the future). It was great meeting you this week and hopefully we can speak again soon.
All the best
M