No Shoes, No ________, No Service?

Monday Money Missive

My dear Kindred Spirit,

Quick business quiz:
How firm are your policies?

How unique are they?

These are important questions.

A business without solid policies is leaking revenue.

A business without unique policies is either brand new, or the owner isn’t taking full advantage of the opportunity to express the needs and desires that are specific to their operation.

Contrary to general opinion, policies need not be boring.

Policies can be creative, and have warmth and humor.

Strong business policies are like a good bra...

Supportive, firm, and designed to keep everything in place! Ha!

Seriously, though, policies must be clear and enforceable. They state what you do, how you do it, and what your clients/customers can expect from you. They also lay out what you expect of your clients/customers, and what you will and will not tolerate from them. As Brené Brown has said, “Clear is kind.”

I believe that your policies are best treated as a living document. One that should be revisited every 6 months or so. Whenever a challenging situation with a client arises, ask yourself if a policy could prevent such a situation in the future. If the answer is yes, add it.

I stay in Airbnbs fairly often. In January, I stayed in one that had a typical list of rules and expectations with one stand out:

There has to be a story regarding the cello! Whatever it was, the owner decided THAT wasn’t going to happen again, and created a policy.

So how about you? Do you have clear, unique policies that help your business to run smoothly, with clients who know what to expect, and what you expect of them?

If not, now is a great time to create them or revisit them. And if you need help with that, you know where to find me.

with love,

Laura

P.S. In my next missive, I will tell you a story about one of my personal policies and how it saved me from heartache at the end of 2024. I still can’t believe what happened!