Eat Here Or We’ll Both Starve!

This "Eat Here or We’ll Both Starve” sign posted at The Daily Brew in
Cataumet, MA caught my attention.  While it strikes a cord on many
levels, I keep coming back to the importance of the word “Both.”  When
“Going-it-Alone" is most often associated with life as a small business
owner, in reality we're highly dependent on others, and by building a
strong trusted network, we can maximize the probability of our ongoing
success!  

With 4 million small business members covering every imaginable type of business, everyday we witness first-hand how supportive business owners can be.  In the early days, I asked a kitchen store owner about a similar business one town away and she said “we send each other customers all the time. It’s all about giving the customer a great experience and I’d rather they buy something I don’t have from another small business than turning to Amazon.”
 
For our power users, the problems they solve on Alignable go well beyond
customer referrals. They use our Q&A Forum and messaging to get answers to
pretty much every business challenge they face.  Who better to turn to
for advice than other business owners with first-hand experience?!  

There is strength in numbers! 

Here’s one example of how members come together to solve problems for others. After learning members were struggling to figure out how to best leverage the platform, Power User Martin Brossman reached out to 25 other power users and they wrote up their combined list of Alignable tips.

They called the post, "I signed up with Alignable, but I'm not quite sure what to do with it." And this quote (among many others) really stood out to me:

"The core idea of Alignable is based on understanding the value of building
alliances with other businesses in your community. Many small businesses
are simply looking for their next 'customer.' They don’t fully
recognize the power of building a referral network through alliances
with and recommendations from other local businesses. There can be great
value in connecting with a business similar to yours, even though at
first glance it may appear to be your competition; it’s coined 'coopetition.'"

Please take a few minutes and read the rest of their post. (It’s awesome).

Once you’ve read the article… take a step back from your computer, take a
deep breath and realize you’re no longer alone.  

Isn’t it a wonderful
feeling?