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| Being a Good Small Business Neighbour It can sometimes bring unexpected results
I’m sure everyone understands the benefits of being a good neighbour. I’m sure our neighbours must think that our house is empty at times because we have to be the quietest people in the street. Our offices are down the back of the house and our business is online so no one comes to the door. We work long and odd hours so the neighbours hardly ever see us but we are here whenever they need us and it always pays to be good neighbours. A week or two ago we went out and were quite some distance from home when we suddenly realised that neither of us could remember closing the front door. A quick phone call to one of the neighbours and the problem was fixed in a matter of seconds. So neighbourliness goes a long way and it can go even further for small business. The terrible hurricane that hit New Orleans reminded me of a storm that hit a country town where I was living. Late one Sunday afternoon the sky started turning yellow and from nowhere a huge storm blew up. The rain came down in torrents, the strongest winds that I’ve ever experienced ripped through the town and it went on for 30 minutes. When it was over the streets were strong flowing rivers, the back of our house was flooded, the power was out everywhere, homes had been unroofed and trees were blown down all over town. An official count recorded over 1,000 trees knocked down. We were among the lucky ones. Across the road from us an elderly widow was trapped in her house and while she was quite safe and her house was relatively undamaged some huge trees had blown down in such a way that no one could get in or out. And she was just one of many in a similar situation and the emergency services were completely overwhelmed. Things hadn’t improved much by the next morning, people were still struggling to secure their homes and clear away debris and the emergency services were still struggling to cope. Some schools were closed but shops and other small businesses were beginning to open. And then I heard a truck pull up outside our house. A family friend ran a small business in town. He had a small fleet of trucks and a few guys who worked for him and he and his two sons had just arrived to see if we needed any help. We were fine but I pointed him across the road and in a very short time he and his boys had their chainsaws out and had cut a path through the fallen trees so that the widow could get out of her house. At the same time he was working across the road his other crews were out doing the same thing. And they were doing it because that’s what neighbours did when disaster struck. While other small businesses thinking of themselves and opening he was thinking of others and kept his business closed for the day. There was no thought or suggestion of payment; they just worked to help their neighbours. But then
payment can come in many forms and sometimes the best form of advertising
can be something as simple as being a good neighbour. 31 Aug 2005 |
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