Humans Flourish Through Relationship
Friends of mine selling their home hosted a final small get together with close friends. It was a convenient reason to get together and also to put on display, not only the final results of a lot of hard work they were proud of but also to advertise the contractors they’d used, in an effort to introduce them to potential future customers. It made sense as the final results were stunning and we were excited to celebrate with them. They laid out a nice spread for everyone to enjoy as we relaxingly walked through what was now like a model home staged for viewing by potential buyers. Some of us helped along the way and now were getting the back stories of the struggles and achievement as we took it all in.
I was intrigued by the miniature bottles of salsa neatly arranged by the bowl of chips. My friend told me they were intended to be taken as a party favor and also served to advertise the landscaping company they used to landscape their yards and trim their trees. He was very happy with their work and proceeded to tell me the story behind the miniature bottles of salsa.
The owner of the small landscaping business had told my friend the story of how he came to use the miniature bottles of salsa for his business cards. He was doing work for a customer, trimming trees and renovating the grounds. It was a large amount of work, which was completed on credit. The customer needed to have the work completed but was having a difficult time managing the costs. The customer was the owner of a salsa company. He asked whether the landscaper would be willing to accept some portion of the payment in salsa! The landscaper’s first thought was, “I mean it is good salsa. I am even Mexican, but… What would I do with that much salsa?” He declined the offer and insisted payment. The customer requested a short period of time to pay that seemed reasonable and he was willing to wait.
A few days had passed and the owner of the landscape company had shared the wild request a few times with friends, always ending laughing with the question, “What would I do with that much salsa?” Then, as if having a revelation he thought, “I need to order more business cards, I’m almost out…wait a minute…what…if?” He called the customer and arranged to have him bottle the salsa in miniature bottles labeled with the landscaper’s business card as well as contact information for the salsa company. He would hand these miniature bottles of salsa out as his business cards. Whenever he would think to give someone a business card, he would instead give them the miniature bottle of salsa. He gave with estimates, to current customers, potential customers and whenever anyone asked. It started with hundreds and then thousands. It turned out to be the single greatest thing he ever did to advertise his business and he grew and grew and grew.
Why do I share this story? There are several reasons. It’s funny. It’s innovative. It’s a demonstration of what thinking outside the box looks like in the real world of business. It’s a customer being resourceful, doing what he can to get something done with limited resources or at least with the resources he has available to him; he’s trying to be creative to get ahead. Its a business owner caring for his customer and being willing to think outside the box to meet his customer partway to dignify the transaction and at the same time take a risk to try something new. It’s working together. It’s relational. It’s entreprenuerial. It’s what it looks like to make your own way in this world. It’s what it looks like to be successful business owner. What’s your idea you’ve always wanted to try? You’ll never know if it will change your life unless you try.
