Mediocrity is Not an Option

People in Greeley aren't the problem.

I hear it constantly, business owners frustrated that nobody shows up, blaming residents for not supporting local. That the city is holding them back. And I get it, it's an easy target.

But it's wrong.

The truth is that Greeley has been a food desert and a shopping desert. For years, residents have had limited options, so they built habits elsewhere. Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Windsor, Boulder, Denver. They found restaurants they love and downtowns they enjoy walking around. Experiences worth the drive.

A new business opens here, and the owner wonders why people aren't coming in. But those people already have somewhere they're going. 

Businesses aren't competing with the empty lot that was here before, they're competing with the places outside the city that residents have been going to for years. 

That's the actual problem. And mediocrity is not a solution to it.

I get asked frequently about starting a business. Depending on the person I'll gauge my answer, but it generally goes somewhere like this... Most people want to open a restaurant or a retail store. Both are terrible options. Not my opinion, historical data. Restaurants and retail have the highest failure rates of any industry.

But, if retail is the direction for new entrepreneurs, the first thing I ask is: how do you feel about social media?

One hundred percent of the time, and I'm not even kidding, the person has little to no interest in it. Usually, they're 30+ years of age and grew up using little of it and wish to go back to the better days where it wasn't necessary.

That's the first and possibly largest indicator of failure.

I've given talks on entrepreneurship, and I make this point clearly every time, "A retail business is not a retail business. It's a marketing company. You are not in the business of selling a product. You are in the business of marketing, and you happen to have a selection of products to sell."

If you're not willing to be where your customers are looking, you have no business trying to run a business.

During the early days of the reptile store and the early days of the bookstore, I was heavy on social media. Not just posting, but familiar with how consumers actually used different platforms. There's a difference between that and having your niece, Sarah, post for you on Instagram twice a month.

I had a heated conversation once with a retail store owner complaining about how difficult it was, and that I didn't understand. I pushed back. Eventually, exhausted, he said, "Well, maybe I just can't do as much as you."

Thank you.

I've worked retail. I've been writing and marketing in some form for decades. I've put in my 10,000 hours. I think I present like it's easy, like showing up is enough. Like turning on the open sign magically brings in people and sales. It doesn't. I've just done enough reps that I can manage the backend and still be present with people in the room. Those are two very different things.

This city has good bones. Things are moving. But to survive here, right now, you have to either be established, or you have to be great.

That's not a knock on the city or the residents, it's a consequence of the gap that existed for years. Residents have built loyalty elsewhere, and you have to give them a real reason to redirect it.

So, if you're thinking about starting a business here, these are the real questions: Are you good enough? Are you hungry enough? Do you have experience, or are you just experimenting?

If it's just an idea or a concept, a dream without legs... don't do it.

Honestly, I'd rather tell you to move as far up as you can in whatever field you're in, take the extra money you'd have made without the stress, and spend it at the places you love.

Your dollars matter. They say a lot.

Supporting your favorite restaurant or food truck does more for this city than a mediocre business that closes in eighteen months.

(Side note: Greeley dominates in Mexican food trucks. If you don't speak Spanish, be brave or be diverse in your friendship and willing to try some. Surrounding cities wish they had our spread.)

But for those of you who are hungry, who have experience or are willing to go get it, try the thing. Go in knowing you're there to learn.

Failure is a high probability, especially early on. Your first five ideas might not work. That's not a reason to stop. Those are reps. That's how the game works.

Read. Learn. Don't buy billboard ads or radio ads or newspaper ads.

Do your thing so well that people lose out by not talking about you.