From The Globe and Mail – “Nearly 60 per cent of women fear going to hospitals or health care centres and almost half report being disappointed by the care they receive.”
Since the health care system started concentrating on numbers and profit, its actual dollar for dollar value has diminished. Like any other business, once your profit margin becomes your main focus, those who deal with you often find that your product or service quality begins to decline. It is at this point that your customers may start to become unhappy.
Once you have begun this downhill slide it can be almost impossible to make a turn around. More cost cutting, less time spent on your actual offering and hours wasted looking for a quick fix will lead your business to the point where you have two options: give up your business completely or sell to someone with a different vision than your own.
As with health care where “the system doesn’t necessarily reflect the complex needs of patients today”, the modern small business needs to take into consideration who their customers are and what the needs of their customers will be in the future, not just in the present. Owners need to realize that their businesses revolve around their customers, not the opposite.
A great idea is only one step in the process of of growing a sustainable business. The most important step you will take is when you realize that in order to grow, you must keep your finger on the pulse of your community.
