A Dirty Big Secret – Get With The Program
A basic strategic marketing plan is paramount as a small business owner, no matter how good you are at what you do, says Niki Tudge
First published in “Barks From The Guild” (Spring 2014), the official publication of The Pet Professional Guild.
For many small business owners, taking the time to develop a marketing strategy can seem so overwhelming that it never even makes it onto their to-do list. In fact, one’s marketing strategy may never even emerge from being a thought or a remote possibility. But let me share a dirty big secret with you.
Planning, launching and/or operating a successful pet care business may not directly result from how good you are as a practitioner. In fact, if you are really good at what you do and therefore spend all your time doing it, your business may be adversely affected. Why? Because if you spend 100 percent of your time working in your business you’ll have nothing left to work on your business.
Over the last 20 years I have not only studied business but have also helped many people launch successful pet care and training business operations. Their success can be directly attributed to several things but there is no one magic bullet. However, one thing I do know, I have not seen anyone who implements a basic strategic marketing plan fail to launch their small business, or fail to become a full-time business owner within eight months of operation.
It saddens me beyond belief when I see competent, force-free pet industry business owners close shop or fail to launch a business successfully. With each failure we lose opportunities, and each lost opportunity may result in a pet’s life being negatively impacted. So, what I am not going to do here is try to convince you to develop a structured marketing plan. Read the entire article here A Dirty Big Secret Get With The Program
