Oh man, that's the real stuff. My old boss was obsessed with opening a second location, like it was some trophy. Meanwhile, our regulars started going to the new place down the street because it remembered their orders. Felt like we were trying to build a mansion on a crumbling foundation. Chasing that kind of "growth" just makes you lose what you already have.
Yeah, I used to chase that standard metric of just getting bigger at all costs. Talking to someone who built a real community spot, not just a revenue stream, flipped that for me. Now I see growth as deepening what you already have, not just adding more. It's about better connections, not just more customers.
That reminds me of a book about how the best coffee shops focus on being a good neighbor. The idea was that real growth comes from being needed, not just being big. Makes a lot of sense for building something that lasts.
@stone.lisa that book sounds like it's onto something. @evanc59 you mentioned better connections over more customers - can you give me an example of what that actually looked like in practice? Like what's one thing that business did different that made people feel needed instead of just served?