During the holiday season, I love offering a hand to my friends who feel too overwhelmed to decorate their spaces. In December, I had the opportunity to help a friend untangle garland and string glittery lights throughout her store. We talked about the upcoming holiday weekend in town, and how her shop would be booming! We were knee deep in tinsel when a customer approached that she has a great relationship with. Let’s call her Judy for today’s parable.
Judy told my friend a long, drawn-out story about needing a ride to the airport that weekend. She was asking my friend to take her at the exact time the shop should be opening for the weekend event. My jaw hit the floor that Judy was even asking this of my friend, who I watched stumble and stutter over the word no. She explained to Judy her shop needed to be open, and how she was the only employee of her business. She explained how the hour drive, one way, to the airport wouldn’t work with her timeline for the event. She said everything, but no. And as Judy persisted, I could see my friend breaking down. She was going to put the entire holiday event at risk to help her client.
No Shame
Recognizing what was about to occur, I interjected with a few words about the event’s timeline and offered up a wonderful driver I knew to get her to the airport safely. Judy happily accepted. My friend heaved a sigh of relief. When Judy left, I asked my friend why she just didn’t say no. I wanted to know why she considered allowing a single person to jeopardize an entire morning of events. It all boiled down to feeling like she let Judy down, and having a tough time telling people no. I left that night thinking about how we over-extend ourselves in life because we are uncomfortable with the word no.
I started thinking about how many times I didn’t say no when I should have in business, and life. How many times I’d overextended myself to the point of exhaustion to make others happier. How many people I kept around when I should have let them go. How many times I allowed our shop to break policies that resulted in complete disaster. When I reflected, me allowing a yes, when there should have been a no, almost always ended poorly. And that no usually made me dip below my standards. You see, accommodation is an amazing gift we get to offer people, but it can also be abused if we allow it.
Know Your Boundaries
For those of you who struggle with no, like my friend; there are moments in life no is ok. There are moments it is necessary. This is why standards and KPI’s are important to identify and outline in your business. Clearly defining what has meaning to your brand helps guide you when decisions need to be made. You cannot say yes to everything. The standards you put in place create parameters for both business protection and growth. This makes saying no when the time comes a little less painful because there is reasoning behind it, opposed to emotion. Take some time to consider the guidelines that define greatness in your business. I promise there will be a time when you will have to say yes or no, and it may be difficult. But if your business standards are clearly outlined, and you need to protect the culture and integrity of your brand, sometimes, it’s OK to simply say no.
About the Author
Lola Schmidt
VP of Operations and Marketing
Lola Schmidt is the vice president of operations and marketing for Schmidt Auto Care in Springboro, Ohio. She joined her husband, Erich, in helping to run his shop nearly 10 years ago with ambitions as high as her heels. Through the years, she has helped to develop an award-winning business that provides veterans with opportunities for employment as well as the community with a trusted resource for auto repair. Outside of the family business, she is a mom to one, a gardener, an artist, and a musician.