Anytime you don’t keep your word you’re not just letting down one person or one business—you’re losing the opportunity to work with every single contact of that person or business, because you can be sure that they won’t ever send business your way. Or worse, they’ll tell everyone they know that you don’t keep your word. A broken promise balloons o

The best approach is to treat every agreement with a customer (or even an employee) as a legally binding contract because, on a societal level, that’s what it is. If you promise to give someone something at a certain time, then do it, and do it on time. Whether it’s a quote or a deliverable or a customer service response doesn’t matter. If you aren

In short, customer happiness is the new marketing. If your customers feel that you are taking care of them, then they’ll stick around and they’ll tell others. This is the precise way in which companies of one can compete with behemoths in their market—by outsupporting them. It’s much harder to compete with bigger companies on aspects like volume, l

your customer gets something unexpected and then feels the need to help your business, not only by remaining loyal but also by telling others.

This second wave of customer service bets that providing a positive emotional experience for each customer will create more wins and higher profits. If you treat your customers like they’re your one and only customer, they’ll reciprocate that love for your brand by not only continuing to do business with you, but telling their own networks to do so

Brand personality needs to foster a two-sided relationship—one focused on not just how your businesses can benefit or gain something from others, but on how others can benefit from having a relationship with your business.

To be a polarizing company of one, you can look to three strategies. The first is placation: trying to change the minds of the so-called haters, those individuals who don’t like your product. General Mills did this in 2008 by creating low-carb and gluten-free cake mixes, amid rising concerns over obesity and gluten sensitivities. Within three years

Personality—the authentic you that traditional business has taught you to suppress under the guise of “professionalism”—can be your biggest edge over the competition when you’re a company of one. What’s even better is that while skills and expertise can be replicated, it’s damn near impossible to replicate someone’s personality and style. Especiall

What changed? My personality didn’t. I’m still an awkward and excitable nerd, just like I was in high school. What did change was that I gradually became okay with sharing who I am and using my differences strategically. Once who I am became part of how I marketed and sold, more people started to respond to that. Not everyone, of course, but enough