This week, Penworth Marketing is celebrating its 8th year in business. I have so many people to thank for that… my awesome clients, my husband, my friends and family, my amazing team, those that support me, mentor me, partner with me, refer others to me, and most of all… my wonderful Dad!

Even though he’s been gone for almost 20 years, his wisdom still guides me today. He wasn’t around physically when Penworth was started, but he definitely (even to this day) plays a big role in how we conduct business.

My Dad owned his own business when I was growing up and I remember him letting me “help” him at tax time. He would take out all his receipts, a big old-timer type of adding machine, and a big yellow tablet (to recalculate manually to check the machine  : )

It was during these moments he taught me a lot about running a business. We would start going through all the paperwork and he would chuckle when looking at certain notes. I would ask him what was so funny and he would start telling me a story about one of his customers that just came to mind.

He would share so many fond memories and you could tell his customers really brought him a lot of joy. That’s when he would say, “do what you love and share your passion with everyone, and in everything you do. That’s where you’ll find true success.” I now understand what he meant by that statement.

So, in honor of my Dad, I would like to share what I picked out as his Top 3 Pet Peeves in running a successful business (which his was!).

1. Be honorable in all your dealings. It seems now-a-days a lot of businesses tend to be better at pitching the sale instead of doing the work. Being honest about your capabilities will sometimes lose a deal to a competitor, but at what cost? It won’t be long before the truth becomes evident and the deal will go sour, anyway. So, keeping your honor in check is a great “return-on-investment” in my book – always.

2. Be selective in choosing your audience. This goes hand-in-hand with the first pet peeve. Going after the wrong audience will most likely hurt a business more than help. Here’s why – let’s say you sell products and/or services that are in the middle price range, and yet, you are attracting “bargain shoppers.”  If this happens, you often wind up in negotiations more often than you’d like. Even worse, you will probably receive even more complaints (because bargain shoppers can be tedious to deal with), and very few (if any) will send you any referrals. So matching your products and/or services to the right audience is not only crucial for success, but for profitability, too.

3. Never over-promise, but always over-deliver. I know, we’ve all heard this one before, huh? And yet, so many businesses do just the opposite. The true value (and excitement) comes when a client’s expectations are focused on one thing and the outcome is ten times sweeter than they expected. Going that extra mile can even give your clients “bragging” rights where they are delighted to share with others how much they love dealing with you. So it’s wonderful to include some real unexpected surprises that no one else is providing, and in return, gain a lot more referrals.

Of course, there are lots more my Dad taught me about running a business, but for now, these are the ones that make the biggest impact in my life (both personal and in business).

Miss you, Dad, but you’re always in my heart,
Daddy’s Little Girl, Your Carm