[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″]I had a long conversation with a client today about where her company is going. She makes handmade fragrant soap, lip balms and other natural beauty products.

 

Her list of goals in the near future is long – new look, new web site, more product, better customer care. Lots more product.

 

Last year, she doubled her business over the previous year and  anticipates similar growth in the coming year.

 

So where to start? First, create product. Next? Web site with e-commerce. After that? It’s anyone’s guess.

But she said something in our conversation that I’ve heard her say before – she doesn’t want her product to ever become so broadly distributed that its not appreciated for what it is – handmade, natural, local. In other words, she doesn’t want her passion and hard work to go unappreciated.

 

For a business person who is living her dream, that’s not easy: the bigger you get, the easier it is for a growing company to forget its roots.

 

My advice to small businesses: Do what you love, build your network and never lose sight of why you started.

 

Seems simple, but too many companies get so caught up in their own success that they forget their roots. And by then, the passion is long gone.

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