I recently visited Canada on a trip with my husband. We had planned on visiting Victoria’s beautiful Butchart Gardens. We got up early, traveled to the ferry dock in Vancouver, and, just as we arrived, they shut down the ferry due to severe winds. We thought that was odd, and went to a botanical garden nearby. It was closed, too, due to the winds. Stanley Gardens: closed due to the winds. Defeated, we turned to the one place my husband had on his list, and I HAD NOT, the Capilano Suspension Bridge.
Now, you may find it odd that everywhere within a 30 mile radius was closed due to wind, but the suspension bridge was unaffected. I sure did!
We went to the booth to ask how much the tickets were and my savings-savvy husband heard $50 a piece. I thought for sure that I was out of this terrifying experience! But, to my surprise, he said “two please” right away! I was freaking out inside. How could I possibly make this a fun adventure? I am and always have been DEATHLY AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!
As we went through the gate, I looked around and marveled at the beauty of the giant trees, rushing water, fresh air and well-kept paths. I decided to do a mental adjustment: I knew I’d have to go across to get to what I wanted to see. I knew it would be a good experience, even if I didn’t want to go through it, and most importantly, it was INCREDIBLY beautiful along the way.
I decided to pretend that I wasn’t that afraid of heights. I also gave myself a time limit: if I could make it across the bridge pretending, then I’d give myself a break and could be afraid again for a moment. Long story short, I went across the bridge, and I survived! I also went on to do every part of the park including the Treetops Nature Walk, and Cliff Walk. The views (I tried to not look down too often) were SPECTACULAR. When I was done, I grabbed land, held on tightly, said “I missed you!” but I don’t regret the experience: it was one that helped shape me.
I bring up this story not to sell you on visiting Canada (though I highly recommend it!), but to illustrate a point: changes, new ideas, and even structure and processes can be scary, but if we pay the admission fee and don’t take advantage of the scenery along the way, we will not gain anything. Here are 4 areas that you need to address to help your small businesses start fresh:
New Ideas
Have you had a bunch of ideas that sit on the back burner? Try one of those new ideas this year! At Gerber Business Solutions, we do market research, strategize best approaches for rolling out new ideas, and take a look at how they can/should integrate with what you already have going on-including time and resource constraints. Though it might be scary, remember how much you’ve invested. Take a chance!
Change Your Processes
Getting processes in place that will save you time and money can take what you need the most: time and money. If you are a creative-type, this may feel rigid. But, you can’t be afraid to dedicate the time and resources to this. We’ve worked closely with clients in artistic fields who needed to come up with a structure that worked. They didn’t want to be tied down to repetitive tasks, and we were able to put their creativity in charge. It’s possible!
Revamp Your Design
Have you been “getting around” to having an actual logo designed or getting one redesigned? Do you know it’s time for your website to be redesigned? Is it missing integrations that you know it should have to make you successful? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time and resources. We’ve worked with clients on their mission statement and messaging, from minor changes to total revamping, to give their website/logos a fresh look that matches what their company has been trying to say for years!
Boost Your Engagement
Don’t have time to devote to coming up with a great marketing strategy, but know that you need to have one? Have one but know it needs some rework and implementation? We work with clients on creating and implementing marketing strategies that utilize their current content. Then, we boost them utilizing genuine and PPC based approaches. Depending on your product and industry, we can put together a strategy that will help you get noticed now!
We are happy to help small businesses get their gears moving in a direction they love and would love to work with you at overcoming any business fears you may have. Set up a FREE consultation now to start fresh with your small business.