Win -Win – Win. The Beauty of Small Business.
It’s a ‘Win- Win’ situation. Everyone is familiar with that phrase.
But, have you ever thought that business, done right, is a ‘Win – Win – Win, etc.’ situation?
Right now business in America is looked down upon (The unfortunate unethical behavior of some corporate executives makes headline news!). Part of the problem is that life is looked at as a zero-sum game: “If others win, then I must lose. For me to get a bigger piece of the pie, someone else has to get a smaller piece, or no pie at all.) Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Do you know the story of Milton Hershey?
Raised in rural central Pennsylvania in 1857, hampered by the lack of a formal education and nearly bankrupt by the time he was 30, Milton S. Hershey went on to become one of America’s wealthiest individuals. He believed, along with the more forward-thinking industrialists of the age, that workers who were treated fairly and who lived in a comfortable, pleasant environment would be better workers. He had plans drawn up for a model community that included housing for executives and ordinary workers alike, schools, churches, parks, recreational facilities and a trolley system. Unlike other “company towns,” Hershey’s was not intended to exploit its resident workers, but rather to provide for their welfare. As time went on, Hershey saw to it that the town (named Hershey, naturally) added a community building, a department store, a convention hall, an amusement park, a swimming pool and schools.
For the farm boy who never had much chance at education himself, providing that opportunity for others was always an important priority. He established the Hershey Industrial School, a school for orphan boys: it has since opened its doors to girls as well. He also made sure that the town of Hershey had the finest elementary and secondary schools possible. In 1918, Hershey transferred the bulk of his considerable wealth, to a Trust to be held for the Hershey Industrial School.
In Hershey’s life, EVERYBODY won:
The business owner who sold Hershey’s chocolate.
The customer who ate it.
The worker who made it.
The families that lived in his town.
The students in his schools.
Not everyone becomes a Milton Hershey, and they don’t need to. When our commercial office cleaning company contracts a building:
The owner has a clean office building.
The workers have a pleasant and healthy workplace.
Our employees have additional part-time income.
Their families have the resources (housing, food, education) that those dollars provide.
WE make a profit by:
Connecting with companies that want a superior level of service.
Providing cleaners who would not have the time or expertise to make that contact.
Managing the business in such a way that everyone is satisfied and all tax and insurance requirements have been met.
In doing so, everybody wins. That is the beauty of running a business; you serve your self-interest when you serve the self-interest of others.
