Diary of a Small Business Owner - October 1, 2020

It was December 6, 1917. An explosion rocked the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Once the debris was cleared and rescue effort complete, 2,000 people were dead and another 9,000 injured.

A winter blizzard complicated the efforts, but eventually a train arrived carrying first responders from Boston, who pitched in to relieve the locals and continue the rescue and medical operations. 

As a sign of thanks, the city of Nova Scotia now sends a Christmas tree to the city of Boston each winter. The tree is displayed to the public at Boston Common.

In this week's Diary of a Small Business Owner, I reflect on this idea of connection and share more about why I believe you build your network before you need it. I share some stories about how our network allowed us to build and grow a store that ended up becoming half of our annual revenue.

I also share the story of Andrew Kelleher and Summit Coffee, who relied on its network during this pandemic. In fact, when they first thought they would close their three cafes, they've now been able to open three additional shops.

Networking isn't just for slimy salespeople. It's for every small business owner. Who can you add to your network now so that you can help each other when an emergency hits? (Because the truth of it is that we never know when an emergency is going to hit.)

Build your network before you need it.