No matter what you’re selling – sandwiches, clothes, household goods, even car washes – it’s important to forge connections in your community. Being intertwined with your customer base in their daily lives, as a staple of their drive home from work or an easy stop on the weekends makes you both harder to forget and easier to rely upon.
Here are some simple steps you can take today!
Fundraising
Work with local non-profits and other community organizations to sponsor a car wash fundraiser. You can split the profits, raise awareness for a good cause, and meet loads of new potential customers at the same time.
Volunteering
Volunteering in your community immediately boosts camaraderie with your neighbors. Working towards a common goal together bonds people, and if your business can embody that partnership, you’re already in a great spot. Most cities will have a plethora of opportunities to get involved, from local Habitat for Humanity builds to food banks and shelters for those experiencing homelessness.
For example, we work with Benefits in Action, a nonprofit organization located in Lakewood, Colorado, that serves individuals throughout the state. Their team works to make people aware of the health-related benefits they qualify for, apply to those benefits, and utilize them as effectively as possible. We recently volunteered with their food delivery program helping to pick up food from local food pantries and deliver boxes to households in the Denver metro area.
Partnerships
Making connections is key to any successful business. But just as important as networking with people is networking with other local shops. Is there a nursery that you can source some of your landscaping needs from? Maybe there’s a coffee shop down the road that can work with you to provide some type of mutually-beneficial promotion or discount for your regular customers.
Another way to act as a partner in your community is through sponsorships. Whether it’s your local high school’s baseball team or a charity event, getting your name out there and connecting with your neighbors over something positive is never a bad idea.
Looking for more ways to make sure your business is successful from the building process and onwards? We’ve got you covered.