Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/180972
Who's the boss? It's not who you think… By Courtney Taylor, Image Up Advertising & Design I've had my own business for 20 years and have learned countless lessons, most of them the hard way. The second most important is that I should never complain about being busy. During the mid-90s I was buried in work. I loved what I was doing — designing logos, making brochures, working on ad campaigns — and I was putting in 18 hour days, often more. I'd get up at 4 am, strap myself in and start. This was before most people had e-mail so I'd fax proofs then start calling clients at the stroke of 7 am. I was tired and said to a friend, "I'm soooo busy!" Little did I know, God was listening and said, "Well… let's fix that." What followed was a six-month drought that had me scrambling to make ends meet. The hard lessons are the ones you always remember. Since then, I haven't complained about my workload. In fact, I'm very grateful and love being busy. I call it my swirling vortex and, when all the deadlines are met and I have a few days to breathe, I look forward to jumping back in. I do, however, wish that medical technology would hurry up with the cloning business. If there were two of me, one could be swirling while the other (me) relaxes on a beach. But if cloning ever did become a reality, my clone would be in the vortex and I'd be busy making sure my clients were happy. This brings me to the first most important lesson I learned as a business owner: I'm not the boss. The people I serve — those in the communities for which I create magazines and the advertisers who benefit from those magazines — are in charge. I am often overwhelmed with gratitude to have so many bosses. Making my bosses happy is my goal every day. I want to give them not just what they expect, but something more, something extra. Sometimes I surprise them. Sometimes I surprise myself. Realizing I'm not the boss has taught me the importance of excellent customer service. It's the same with any business. When you put the customer Before first and make sure they're not just satisfied but they know that you've gone above and beyond with the product or service you provide, they'll feel valued and your success will follow. And when you miss the mark, as we all do, owning it immediately and rectifying the mistake is almost as good as doing it right the first time. Anticipating your customer's needs and putting those needs before your bottom line is also important. For example, if a business owner wants to put an ad in a magazine and I don't think it will benefit them, I'll tell them. I'll lose the sale but be able to look at myself in the mirror, knowing I did the right thing. A mechanic would do the same thing if a customer came in thinking they needed a new transmission and were told that it was just a $20 do-hickey that needed replacing. That customer would not only go back with any problems but would sing the mechanic's praises to anyone within ear shot. Yesterday, an advertiser sent me an ad her husband had designed. I asked if she would mind if I tweaked it a bit. She hesitated at first but gave me the go ahead, saying if she didn't like it, she'd stick with the original. That was fine — she is, the boss after all. I spent half an hour finding the right photo, playing with fonts, adjusting the layout, then sent her a proof. The before and after ads are below, printed with her permission. She called and said,"I'm blown away. I guess this is why you do what you do and I do what I do." That made my day. I used to tell people, "Doing graphic design just because you have a computer is like performing vasectomies just because you have an X-Acto." Cringe-worthy, I know, but it makes the point. So here's my challenge to you: Go above and beyond. Do that extra something that makes your customer pick up the phone and say, "I'm blown away." Believe me, it will make your day. After BEAUMONT NOW | OCTOBER 2013 13