Over the next few weeks we will be diving going to a short series on small business, marketing, and success in the small business marketplace. None of the corporate empires of today began as large businesses. I’m not suggesting that my readers should industrialize their egg or farm production, but any business has the potential to be successful; big or small. Stay tuned for some food for thought directed to anyone in any business. But especially for the small farmer working out of their home, store, or local farmers market, read more for some answers on how to expand your small business or even to simply be successful on a small scale. To start us off there are a few key questions that I will be reviewing over this blog series. Small business owners often ask themselves these three questions, all key to finding success in such a competitive modern market.
How can my business compete with large companies with such low prices?
How can people find out about my business?
How can I be unique?
There are a few answers to these questions where small businesses can succeed. And no, it’s not luck. Small businesses can find their niche in many different areas, and small farms can find success in various ways. Today I will answer our first question; how can my small business compete with large companies with such low prices?
The truth is that many small businesses simply cannot compete with large businesses and their lower prices for larger quantities, but there are many ways to compensate. To start, large businesses have to work off of averages. These businesses get their sales mostly based off of a broadly focused target market, which means that they advertise to everyone of all backgrounds on a large scale. Larger companies have to find a middle ground in products in order to appeal to such a large number of people.
A small business can easily win by meeting the specific needs of all of their customers on a smaller scale. Small businesses even have a competitive advantage in both location and personal relationships. For example, to keep prices low a chicken coop company might use a light inexpensive plastic for reduced shipping and material costs. On the other hand, a handmade wooden chicken coop sold at a local store would cut out shipping prices as well as increase quality. Even at a higher cost, customers are often eager to sacrifice a few dollars for a local higher quality item that they couldn’t find elsewhere.
As part of a community, people often like to buy locally for a variety of reasons. Customers love to know that what they are buying is supporting their local community, and not a factory on the other side of the country. This is something only local farms and businesses can take advantage of, so use it!