Wise Words
Watch Hallmark Movies to Grow Your Business
I found this gem from the US Chamber of Commerce, and think you’ll find it better than anything I could offer on the subject. I won’t deny you words from the best…here’s how every Hallmark movie teaches us about struggling small businesses and how to succeed.
“Partnerships aren’t always easy, but sometimes they’re worth the effort. Watch The Best Christmas Party Ever.
“Afterfinding out her boss, Petra, is retiring, party planner Jennie Stanton hopesshe will be left in charge of Petra’s party planning business. But when Petra’scharming and handsome nephew, Nick, arrives on the scene to take over thebusiness, it looks like that dream is dead. That is until Jenny discovers howwell she and Nick work together and she faces losing him to a career in acting.As Jenny learns, partnerships aren’t always smooth and it’s tempting to want todo everything yourself. But partnerships also allow you to leverage thestrengths of both partners. Is a partnership right for your business?” Hmm, Isee a future article on this subject.
“Employees are your most valuable asset. Watch Christmas Cookies.
“Whenhis cookie factory is sold to a large conglomerate, Jake is pressured to sellhis share so the company can be relocated to a bigger big city. Hannah is sentto complete the deal, but after meeting Jake and realizing how important thefactory is to the town, Hannah decides its employees are more important thanprofit. Hannah learns that the real heart of any company is its employees.”Nothing beats retaining your employees, and it’s another topic worthy ofexploration.
“Sometimes saving a business takes a village. Watch Christmas Land.
“Uponfinding out that her late grandmother left her ‘Christmas Land,’ a magicalChristmas-themed village and tree farm, Jules Cooper finds herself at acrossroads: Should she sell Christmas Land and get back to her life in thecity, or stick around and restore it to the captivating potential it once wasin? Jules decides to make a sale — to a buyer she thought would keep thevillage alive in its current form — only to find out that he had plans to razethe land entirely. In order to buy it back, she needs to raise over $1 millionso the buyer can turn a profit. With one investor and the help of the entiretown, she is able to raise the money that the business needs to be bought backand kept alive. With a few obstacles, Jules learns various ways to raisecapital in order to keep the business afloat.” Financing is a challenge, nomatter where you live.
Buying an existing business can be challenging. Watch Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa.
“Retail designer Lisa revisits her hometown and discovers that the beloved general store she remembers from her childhood has closed. After attempting to sell the store, Lisa decides to buy the store and relocate back to her childhood home. Starting a business is tough, but Lisa learns that buying an existing one comes with challenges, too.” Money is never handy when you need it.
Nobody knows your business better than your employees. Watch Christmas in Love.
“Ellie Hartman is an aspiring crafter working in her small town’s bakery. When big-city CEO Nick Carlingson visits the bakery with plans to modernize it, Ellie shows him it’s the people who make the business a success. As Ellie proves, your employees are often your most avid supporters, so it’s essential hire the right ones from the beginning.” We all need to learn more about finding the best candidates from the git go.
Sothat’s it, folks. If you want to grow your business, tune into the HallmarkChannel this Christmas season. All joking aside, savor the holidays. May yourbusinesses thrive, your families be healthy, and joy abound. Next week I’lloffer you another reading list for putting the extra time off to good use.
