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Christopher Daly's avatar

I have spent a ton of time on this. Sooo many retailers. Looking around, understanding market shifts. BigBox retailers DESTROYED mom and pop retailers. And now BigBox retailers are being destroyed in favor of... mom and pop retailers.

Two types of DTC businesses: build to flip, built to serve.

One is purpose driven and that purpose is profit.

The other is mission driven and that mission is profit from things they love and think you will too through service.

The single most difficult part is the storytelling to connect consumers who want to be valued by the people they buy from, with the people who value customers for patronage and profits, not just profits.

Story Concept: Legacy is a different thing for everyone. For some, their legacy is how much money they make. For others, their legacy is how many customers they have served with products they love and made a good living along the way. People are not going to remember or even know the money you make. They are going to know and remember the way you make them feel every time they buy from you. They are going to share their journey with you. They are going to share your journey with others. And they will come back to you time and time again for the service that comes with your products. You get to choose your Legacy. And your customers will help you build it.

I have a half dozen of these noodling around in my head or on paper.

It is VERY hard to do and I have been writing for 40 years.

Good post Sam.

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