Fight for small wins, not windfalls
On my commute home from the city today, I was thinking about what I need to do better in order to see Vrbs Coffee grow. I kept trying to come up with big trajectory-changing ideas. How to go viral. How to get my coffee into stores across the country. Ad campaigns. Simply put, I was planning to encounter a windfall.
Do you know the one sure way to never have massive success? By thinking chance is involved in its coming.
This was one of those “oh shit” moments for me. Clearly, I had it all wrong. I realized that success stories are written not through windfalls, but through small wins.
I immediately shifted my focus.
Forget next month. Forget next week. Forget tomorrow. How can I make a difference and get a small win today? What could I do right this second that might help Vrbs Coffee succeed?
I started viewing this question from my perspective as a coffee consumer, then as a coffee business owner. There’s a lot of good coffee out there, but which ones do I remember, and why do I remember them?
I clearly pictured a bag of Poorboy Coffee. With the delivery, I received a handwritten thank you note from the owner. Now whenever I see Poorboy Coffee content on my FYP, I pause just a bit longer and interact more.
Then I thought, how cool would it be for the owner to reach out to me personally and ask for my feedback on the coffee?
THAT’S what I can do today, right now, to help Vrbs Coffee. I can reach out to and connect with everyone that’s supported the brad in the past. Worst case I’ll be ignored. Best case I might build a lifelong fan.
This is a note to self; Sometimes it’s the small wins that really make the difference.
Curtis
I’d love to hear your perspective on this; would your perception of a brand change if you received personalized messages from the founder?
Drop a comment and let me know!