Owning a small business means independence, learning opportunities, and creative freedom for many! Naturally, it comes with its own risks and challenges, and this is when “small biz” memes from this dedicated Instagram account under the name SmallBizMemez can come in handy by putting the struggles of this community into a comic light and in such a way contributing to taking the unhelpful pressure off one's shoulders.
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The SmallBizMemez account has 146K followers on Instagram. As per their description, they post: “4-star content with 5-star confidence” that is all about “celebrating that small biz life!”
When it comes to their “4-star” content, most people who ever felt they received unhinged online comments or got unfounded reviews of their services can find something they can relate to and have a laugh at.
Just to name a few, there is a screenshot of a customer’s “1-star” review on Amazon from 2022 about a paddle brush, which comes with a comment that: “It would be five stars,” but they lost the brush. Therefore, the customer provided their explanation: “It’s hard to rate a brush that I can’t find. Maybe my daughter took it. Either way, I’m not happy how easy it was to lose.”
I just sold something on eBay that had been listed for almost 6 years. Godspeed vintage mug & saucer, enjoy your new life in Alaska!
Another customer answered a business owner’s inquiry about what went wrong with their order, as they gave a “1-star” review, and it went as follows: “I thought it was cute but I think they thought I was just silly for ordering it. Not anything to do with the hat, just me!”
Finally, one does not have to limit themselves to only reading, as per SmallBizMemez description, everyone can forward their funny, bizarre, or worst customer interactions and get them shared online.
Always followed by comments about how their child makes stuff that looks like this. (Thanks, lady)
I know what you did last summer!!!! i love the reference event if it doesn't apply to the situation.
On a more serious note, Kathy Haan for Forbes Advisor listed key suggestions for those who wish to start or successfully continue one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of running a business.
They suggested starting with getting in the right mindset, noting that while overnight success makes for a great headline, it is rarely that simple, as years of dreaming, building, and positioning before a big public launch often get overlooked.
Haan also emphasized that consistency is key because after initial motivation wears off, it is creating habits and following routines that help here.
Finally, Haan suggested finding a balance between the opposites of diving in headfirst without looking and making things up later on, and being stuck in analysis paralysis and never starting. She explained that the best way to accomplish any business or personal goal is to write out every step it takes to achieve the goal. Order the steps by what needs to happen first and stick to always taking the next step on the list.
We can just add checking the small business memes to keep one's mood up along the way!
why are march & may good sales months? I could see mothers day helping with may but what is in March?
Are you calling Ted Cruz a "product that's an absolute bust"? I concur.
Oh no I don't want to think about that! I have a very teeny tiny Etsy shop and I already dread the day I'll get a 4- star review that will mess up my perfect rating 😭
Spend 20 minutes beautifully boxing a customer's purchase, and then notice the packing slip in the printer tray.
I painted mugs in prison for people. One elderly lady didn't care what I painted, as long as it was Christian. I was an atheist at the time, and I'm not good at painting people or animals. Landscapes and abstracts, that's me. I wracked my brain to figure out what I could paint well enough to justify the five bucks, that could possibly be Christian. I ended up doing Golgotha with the three crosses standing on the hill. It looked good, and she was thrilled. She passed soon after, and my painting was something that brought her joy in her last days.
But don't forget rapid turnover. Small profits, quick returns, make that dollar work harder over the year. The Roman Legions went into battle with "SPQR" as their motto, and it worked for them ;-) .
You need to please the algorithm to be seen, but you need to please the customer to be bought.
So really these are just memes for people who have an Etsy shop then? Why not call it that?
There's quite a few that don't mention Etsy. As a small business owners, not retail, many of these made me giggle and we're applicable.
You never know, some might be MLMs...
I've seen some baffling reviews; 1 star because they got the colour they ordered but they don't think it suits them only they're reviewing a silk scarf on the site of a jewelry maker! On a similar topic a local Indian takeaway got a bad review clearly intended for an Italian restaurant. Sometimes my fellow customers are just idiots
I accidentally down voted myself so I've upvoted myself to compensate: I promise I don't normally upvote me, that would be weird!🤦♀️
So many tears. So many unsold earrings.
So really these are just memes for people who have an Etsy shop then? Why not call it that?
There's quite a few that don't mention Etsy. As a small business owners, not retail, many of these made me giggle and we're applicable.
You never know, some might be MLMs...
I've seen some baffling reviews; 1 star because they got the colour they ordered but they don't think it suits them only they're reviewing a silk scarf on the site of a jewelry maker! On a similar topic a local Indian takeaway got a bad review clearly intended for an Italian restaurant. Sometimes my fellow customers are just idiots
I accidentally down voted myself so I've upvoted myself to compensate: I promise I don't normally upvote me, that would be weird!🤦♀️
So many tears. So many unsold earrings.