Success involves true customer engagement and follow-up

Lisa Donaldson co-founded Fiddleheads Kids Shop Inc. in 2010 as a way to provide her community with a new kind of lifestyle store for kids ages 0-4. Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Fiddleheads brings together awesome gifts, gear and accessories, in-store tutorials and workshops to help make parenting a little easier. Here is Lisa’s advice about continued success for other young entrepreneurs:

Listen to customers. Take all of their feedback and suggestions into consideration since both positive and negative comments can help you continually improve your company. Small businesses have the advantage when it comes to their ability to be nimble and respond quickly. Listening, and more importantly being reactive to feedback can also help you build and sustain customer loyalty.

Engage customers. Great customer service involves more than just responding to your customer’s needs.  You must engage them via multiple platforms; in-store, by phone, online, and through social media.  Traditionally in retail, customers came to you but today there’s the opportunity for continuous dialogue with customers whether they are in front of you or not.

Build upon your success. Remember to grow your existing relationships with customers since the future of a successful business is built upon trust. People enjoy doing business with someone they know and trust so the relationships you build in your community are a distinct advantage over big box competitors.