Tell the Others
One of my friends recently reached out to me. It was an unexpected, but fun conversation. In short, this individual wanted to thank me for being such a strong advocate for their business. Contextually, this person said I'm responsible for them making "hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years" (a fact I wasn't previously aware of). After a huge statement of gratitude was made, they added the following: "We feel bad that you haven't made anything from all of this. You deserve so much, and haven't received a thing in return for all you've done."
They couldn't be more wrong. They don't realize it, but I've received so much from them. No, not actual compensation. Not financial rewards. Not some tangible signal that I've done something. Rather, I've received an even better reward. The people I care about have been served well, with excellence, and their lives are better for having been introduced to this amazing business. That IS the reward.
That's what makes the relentless pursuit of excellence so powerful. Ultimately, people don't want to "support small business." They want to be served excellently, and if it happens to be from a small business, great! When push comes to shove, people are agnostic with their own money and patronage. They'll spout platitudes on social media about "supporting small" and "supporting local," but their money eventually gravitates toward excellence.
Is it true my friend has made hundreds of thousands of dollars from my advocacy? I'll take them at their word that it's true. That's not my fault, nor do I deserve credit. Their excellence deserves the credit. Their excellence drew me in, then their continued excellence caused me to tell the people in my life about them. That's how excellence works: it spreads, it multiplies, it overpowers everything else.
People don't need compensation to be advocates of excellence. Watching their people receive excellence IS the reward. We shouldn't need to be guilted into patronizing businesses. We shouldn't feel bad about spending money at national companies. What should (and does) make us feel like crap is spending our hard-earned money on companies that don't practice excellence (whether the smallest of small businesses or the largest of large).
Here's my challenge for you today. If you've found excellence in your life (excellent services, excellent products, excellent brands, excellent restaurants, etc.), tell the others. Let people know about your discovery. The most selfish thing we can do is keep the good news to ourselves, and the most generous thing we can do is tell the others. Therefore, tell the others!
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