Getting personal isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially in business. Everyone has opinions about what needs to happen and how both employers and employees should go about it. My passion for helping local business grow is no secret, and over the course of the next few months I have every intention of keying you in on a few of the aspects of business that I find most important.

First and foremost, a successful business depends on support. I’m not the first, nor the last, person to say that remaining positive can be a struggle when having a bad day. Maintaining energy and positivity is challenging. However, it is extremely important to stay motivated and positive when entering the office and working with other people. I have been blessed with strong faith, great family and friends and an amazing staff that help me every step of the way. I might be the president, but my success stems from those around me just as much as it does from my hard work.

As we all know, customer service is key. But, it is also something that is sometimes not taught or emphasized enough. I recently saw a post from a client that talked about bad customer service he received at a fast food restaurant where someone commented that you can’t expect good customer service when they aren’t even making a living wage. That comment really struck a chord.

Good customer service should be innate as well as taught and constantly improved upon. Neither customer service nor doing a good job is dictated by the amount of money you make. You should take pride in your work no matter what you’re doing. Regardless of if you’re the owner of a business, working for minimum wage or doing volunteer work, good customer service should be a priority. It is as simple as a friendly greeting or a smile.

We should strive to always treat others with kindness, respect and a positive demeanor. Whether it’s your coworker, a regular customer or someone you’ve never met before, you should try to give the best customer service you can. Nobody wants to have an experience where people aren’t friendly or nice. To me, it is very important to go the extra mile and give more than what is expected. Being kind and helpful should be innate components of customer service that we do.

Another core value in my life is patriotism. I have a strong love for our country and a special place in my heart for those involved with the military. As such, we’re introducing a new feature on Veteran-owned businesses this month. We hope to generate community support and recognition as we publish more down the line.

Currently the Veterans in our community are in crisis. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health and high suicide rates, our Veterans are in need of our support. At Strictly Business we are honored to highlight Veteran-owned businesses in the community and hope that you will also honor them by recognizing their service for this country.

Getting personal about topics that aren’t talked about as much as they should be is a daunting task, but this is my attempt at letting you in on my two cents about my values in the business world. I encourage you to reflect on your own values and how they fit into your daily interactions so that we can work towards positive relationships in our community.

Sincerely,

Paige Zutavern
President – Strictly Business Magazine

Phone: (402) 730-0096| Email: Paige@StrictlyBusinessOmaha.com