Signs of Destruction

I have always been amazed at how some business owners will try to do something creative and end up hurting or even destroying their business. In fact, it is my sworn duty as a Small Business Coach to help entrepreneurs take evasive action before they blow themselves up.

It doesn't matter what business you are in if your signage says that you are into something else

One very memorable case happened a few years ago. I had just pulled into a parking lot of a local strip mall and parked in front of a new business. An entrepreneur opened his own storefront for customers to come in and concoct and bottle their own soft drinks. Problem is that I did not know this from the sign that hung over the front door. It was hand-painted, badly, and simply said “Soda-Mystic”. It did not go into any more detail than that and there was nothing in the store windows except black curtains.

I guess most of the adults who were aware of the kinky stuff in society were scared off and the puritan shoppers who could not spell were just a little bit nervous about what the heck went on in the shop, especially when they could not see in. The business folded within a few months because it did not attract actual paying customers. Only the curious, including me, actually went inside to find out what the sign meant.

Heck I would have just changed the name to “Bottle Your Own Mom & Pop Shop” or something innocuous like that.