Sweating the Small Stuff

I know you’ve heard the expression, “don’t sweat the small stuff.” Sometimes it may be good advice, but in running our businesses, it’s often the small stuff that can make a big difference. From Seth Godin’s blog comes an interesting story about a bread shop. The shop opens every day at 6:00 am. That seems very early, especially in the small town where this business is located. But, every morning at 6:00, 20 to 50 people board a bus, headed for a day at the shore. That’s 20 to 50 potential customers who are on the bus, leaving town when the shop opens its doors. If the owner were to open just ten minutes earlier, the difference in sales would be substantial. Just 70 minutes of additional work per week (assuming the shop is open and the bus runs seven days per week) could yield as many as 350 more customers per week. Sometimes it pays to “sweat the small stuff.” Is there any small stuff that you might be overlooking in your business?

[This post originally appeared on “Mine Your Own Business“, May 30, 2006.]