The Small Town Businessman Approach to the Web
My Grandpa was a small town businessman.
Whitehall, Wisconsin (famous for its Beef & Dairy Days in mid-August) is still under about 2,000 people. It’s in the heartland of Southwestern Wisconsin. Surrounded by rolling hills and just north of Bluff Country, Whitehall was the place where my Grandpa moved his wife and four young girls so he could venture on his own and start his life as an insurance agent for State Farm Insurance (Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there).
I’ve asked my Grandpa a few times about his decision to venture off on his own at a time when he was responsible for the livelihoods of an entire family. He said it was a decision that working in a factory wouldn’t provide him and his family the life he had envisioned.
While his friends called him crazy, he left the ice cream factory and became an insurance agent. There is no doubt his farm-boy upbringing had laid a solid hard-working foundation for a career of self-employment, it’s a credit to my Grandpa that he was able to risk so much in order to gain a quality life for his family (including my wonderful Mom).
The Web may not seem to compare to a small town in Wisconsin, but the principles of a small town businessman can be used by all Web entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, blogs, and websites.
Here are a few tips on how to utilize the small town businessman mentality for your Web business
Participate in Non-Business Activities and Organizations
My Grandpa was very involved in the community activities in Whitehall. He was on the city board for a number of years. He was also a regular for many springs and summers at the Whitehall Country Club. His responsible and practical approach to his community involvement only improved his stature as a man of trust and responsibility in his insurance business. While he earned no money for his community activities, it was his involvement in the community that increased his stature as a businessman, which ultimately led to more clientele.
Today on the Web there are many advantages to helping out your niche community (and others in related and unrelated niches).
You can participate in forums, comment on blogs, give interviews, write niche newsletters, etc.
One of the most important things you can do is to make yourself available for answering questions. Let your peers know you’re always willing to discuss strategies (especially in these difficult times).
Focus on helping others succeed in their business.
By focusing on improving your peers you’ll be creating a brand for yourself. You’ll be seen as a reputable resource for information as it relates to your business.
Be reliable. Be active. Be humble and give others the credit (always).
You can’t put a monetary value or profit on this type of activity, but you will see improvement in your brand and ultimately in your bottom line when you count your dollars at the end of the month.
Personal Connections
You know the old clichés “In a small town everybody knows everybody” and “In a small town you can’t get away with anything” and “It takes a community to raise a child”.
While there is truth in these statements in their literally meanings, it also brings up an interesting point about small town businessmen – he/she knows everybody (and everything) in a small town.
In order for my Grandpa to be successful in his insurance business (or self contractor – however you look at the insurance agent business), he had to know a lot of people in and around the community of Whitehall. He had to maintain cordial friendships while caring to his responsibilities as a businessman.
This meant he had to be a resource for the citizens in the community. They would not only come to him for their insurance needs, they would come to him for friendly advice as well as for information regarding the doings in the town.
Small town businessmen have to be knowledgeable, accessible, and available.
Personal connections are just as important on the Web.
While the Web seems like a huge place with different rules, the rules of making a conscious and genuine effort to connect with individuals still apply.
The Web is just a tool to increase your ability to make personal connections with others who you can help (and who can help you) make a difference in the world with business.
Treat the individuals you meet on the Web like you were a small town businessman. Act like there are only so many customers and you need to make each connection meaningful.
In fact, it’s even more important to treat each person you meet on the Web like you truly care about them. There is more competition on the Web than in a small town.
Truly be passionate about taking the time to be reliable, knowledgeable, accessible, and available on the Web. Make it easy for people to connect with you and have their best interests as your number priority.
Continually ask yourself, “How can I improve this person’s life and business?”
Summary
On the Web everything you do is magnified and the competition is rampant. There are no barriers to entry except your own fear to start a business.
Get involved in communities that are unrelated to the direct profit of your business (it will have long-term benefits for your brand and your bottom line).
Separate yourself by remembering the principles of the small town businessman.
Treat each person you connect with on the Web like they’re the most important person in your life.
Be reliable, knowledgeable, accessible, and available.
Small businessmen used to take the time to get to know their customers and get to know the citizens of the community even if they weren’t current customers.
It takes time and effort to build trust and respect in a community.
The Web is a large community and there is endless opportunity.
Take the time to make valuable connections and remember the principles of the small town businessman.
Special Thanks
While I see my Grandpa as a great man, I also have to mention my Grandma who has stood by his side for over 50 years. Even when he took a chance to venture out on his own she stood by him. She raised a great family while working as a nurse at the Whitehall hospital.
They’re both role models of mine and a model of success for Web businessmen and businesswomen even today.
Bonus
I wanted to embed two of my favorite small town songs, but they both had the embedding disabled on You Tube (Really record companies? You’re still acting like it’s 1965?).
Here are the links to the videos on YouTube
‘Small Town‘ by John Mellencamp
‘Famous in a Small Town‘ by Miranda Lambert
Actually, here’s the ‘bootleg’ version of Miranda’s video. (I’ll post it until the record company disables the embedding feature).
Bonus #2
Here’s a homemade video using another one of my favorite songs ‘Tiny Town’ by Tracy Byrd. (Apparently the embed is disabled on this video as well. Record companies are frustrating… They really don’t get it.)
‘Tiny Town‘ by Tracy Byrd
Related posts on the Web
The Importance of the Physical World
Steps Towards a More Sustainable Life of Less
Related posts on Hunting Business Marketing
The George Jones Successful Career Guide
Taking the Kevin Costner Approach to Your Hunting Business
5 Examples of Hunting Businesses that Get It
Leave your response!