As I approach my ONE year anniversary of membership in the StartupNation Community, I am consciously taking some time to reflect on the last year! It has been quite a whirlwind in which I literally woke up one morning and started a business (for those of you who do not know, I am an inventor with a mystery product launching sometime in 2012).
As if building one business was not enough, my own personal blog began to gain a rapid following and all of a sudden, I had 2 budding businesses on my hand. I am so thrilled that I am able to continue to motivate and inspire moms in transition both through my blog and one-to-one. Nothing more exciting than having a hand in helping others to gain clarity and success!
Being able to share with you all here on StartUpNation is the icing on the cake. Engaging as a member here, asking and answering questions, and being able to connect through this blog with men and women in startup business remains a highlight of each week for me.
When I first signed up last year, I commented on a post by Rich Sloan, the chief startupologist here at StartUpNation. The post was about an experience he had at a recent conference and a discussion on favorite companies and customer service. Rich asked members to share their favorite companies and why?
I expect that this is a fabulous lesson for those of us who are/were new to small business and the seasoned veterans because we always can use greater focus on ‘WHO?’ we admire in business and ‘WHY?’
My answer a year ago was Apple Computer. A year later my answer would still be Apple Computer. There was no predicting that Steve Jobs would pass exactly one year after I made this comment. In light of this terrible loss to the entrepreneurial community, how appropriate to make mention of this comment now.
I still love Apple Computer, and the brand is thoroughly infused in my daily life from my iPhone to my Macbook to the iTouches that my kids love. It is not just the level of easiness that Apple Products give us, but also the level of customer service provided through Apple. I am not going to go into the details, but just this past week, the Apple Team gave their ALL while dealing with my son’s iTouch (which met with an unfortunate incident).
This experience triggered in my memory the customer service discussion from a year ago, and a lightbulb went off in my mind. The crucial aspect here is that this is the type of service that I receive each and every time I visit or call Apple. That is Steve Job’s legacy, and a model for all of us companies, large and small.
In some cosmic way, last year’s comment on Rich’s post, my love of Apple, the untimely passing of Steve Jobs, my growing business(es), and all of our need for continued lessons in customer service merged together.
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts and my adventure with you, and mostly, thanks to the ‘Nation’ for being my sounding board.
I would love to hear from you which companies you admire?
Rachel
