After Fleet Week, a long holiday weekend, and the usual chaos of running a business, this month’s Small Business Shop Talk felt a little different.
There wasn’t a carefully planned topic. Instead, we gathered around the table with one simple goal: to check in with each other. Sometimes those are the best meetings.
Business ownership can be surprisingly isolating. Most days are spent solving problems, answering emails, helping customers, and trying to stay one step ahead of whatever challenge comes next. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one stuck or questioning whether you’re headed in the right direction. That’s why this meeting felt so refreshing. It reminded everyone in the room that, while our businesses may look different on the outside, we’re all trying to solve many of the same problems.
As we made our way around the room, each business owner shared what was happening in their world. Some were celebrating growth. Others were navigating change. Some were seeking new customers, while others were seeking a new spark after years in business. Although every story was different, one thing became clear: growth doesn’t stop once you’ve “made it.” It simply asks different questions depending on where you are in your journey.
One of the newer business owners talked about finally finding their footing. After investing time in a business plan, developing a marketing strategy, and working with a business coach, they were beginning to see the company’s direction much more clearly. The confidence wasn’t coming from having every answer. It was coming from knowing they were finally asking the right questions.
A few seats away, another business owner shared a very different story. After decades in the same industry, they weren’t trying to build a business from the ground up. They were trying to reinvent it. Their industry has changed dramatically over the years, and while they’ve adapted, they admitted there were opportunities they wished they had embraced sooner. Now they’re exploring new ways to reach customers on social media while also considering bringing a long-forgotten passion back into the business.
Listening to those two stories side by side was one of our favorite moments of the morning. One business owner was seeking their first steady customers. Another was seeking the next chapter after years of success. The circumstances were completely different, yet the work was surprisingly similar. Growth isn’t a destination. It’s a series of seasons that ask us to keep learning.
That realization naturally brought us back to the branding conversation from the previous month. We started asking ourselves a simple question: What actually makes our businesses different? It sounds like an easy question until someone asks you to answer it.
Most business owners spend so much time inside their business that they stop seeing what customers see. The little things that make us unique start to feel ordinary because we do them every day. We assume everyone provides the same level of service, communicates the same way, or solves problems the same way we do. The truth is, they don’t.
Sometimes, the hardest person to convince that your business is special is yourself. That’s one of the hidden benefits of sitting in a room with other business owners. They often see your strengths long before you do. They’ll point out something you thought was “just part of the job” that your customers see as the reason they keep coming back.
Somewhere along the way, that conversation naturally drifted into marketing. Honestly, it almost always does. Several people admitted they struggle with showing up consistently on social media. Not because they lack ideas, but because they don’t think those ideas are worth sharing. The information feels too obvious, too basic, too common. That sparked one of the morning’s biggest conversations. As business owners, we answer the same questions over and over. We explain our process, solve the same customer problems, and use industry language every day. Eventually, we begin to believe everyone knows what we know. They don’t.
Think about the last question a customer asked you. Was it one you’ve answered a hundred times? Good. That’s exactly the kind of content your future customers are searching for. Your expertise isn’t valuable because it’s revolutionary. It’s valuable because someone else hasn’t learned it yet. Several people agreed that this often comes down to imposter syndrome. We compare ourselves to people who have been in business longer, have larger audiences, or seem more polished online. Meanwhile, we overlook the knowledge we’ve built through years of doing the work.
One comment really stuck. “We’re not trying to create content for everybody. We’re trying to create content for the people who need what we have to offer.” That simple shift changes everything. Instead of asking, “What should I post?” we can ask, “What does my ideal customer need to hear today?” Those answers are everywhere. They’re in the phone calls you answer every day. They’re in the questions customers ask before buying. They’re in the mistakes you’ve helped people avoid. They’re in the conversations you have so often that you’ve forgotten how valuable they really are.
All of these topics are great, but none is as important as putting the owner in front of the camera. For many, that’s uncomfortable. It’s much easier to post a photo of your product, share a graphic, hide behind your logo, or put your most bubbly employee in front of the camera. But customers don’t build relationships with logos. They build relationships with people, and they want to know who they’re buying from. They want to hear your story, understand why you care about your work, and see the passion behind the business. They aren’t expecting perfection. In fact, perfection often creates distance. Authenticity builds trust. That doesn’t mean every business owner needs to become a full-time content creator. It simply means letting customers occasionally meet the human behind the business.
As the meeting wrapped up, a familiar thought emerged, unrelated to branding, marketing, or social media. Every single person in the room had something to teach. The newer business owner brought a fresh perspective and excitement. The experienced business owner brought wisdom earned over decades of adapting. Others offered encouragement, ideas, different viewpoints, and questions that made all of us think differently. Nobody had all the answers, and everybody had something to contribute.
I think that’s the real power of Small Business Shop Talk. It’s not about having the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating a space where business owners can think out loud, borrow ideas, challenge assumptions, and remind each other that none of us build our businesses alone.
We all left feeling a little more connected than when we arrived. After the excitement of Fleet Week and a long holiday weekend, it was exactly the reset many of us didn’t realize we needed. We walked away with new ideas, fresh motivation, and a reminder that sometimes the best way to move your business forward is to spend an hour talking with people who understand the journey.
More conversations like this happen on the last Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. at The Corner Store. We’ll save you a seat. spt
Melissa Hay is a San Pedro native who is the owner of Homemade by the Hays, a candle shop in CRAFTED at the Port of LA. She can be reached at homemadebythehays@gmail. com. Alexis Sadler is the owner of Accounting Therapy. She can be reached at alexis@ accountingtherapy.com.
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