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Tag: Customers

  • Top 5 Ways to Strengthen Customer Loyalty – Tech Digest

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    Loyalty isn’t something you can request at checkout.

    It’s something that builds in the background after a series of solid experiences. It grows when someone finishes dealing with your brand and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

    People return to businesses where spending feels comfortable, not risky.

    Follow these five tips below so choosing you feels natural, not debated:

    1. Deliver On Your Promises

    Most customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They just expect you to mean what you say.

    If you promise delivery on Wednesday, they’ve probably already rearranged their day around it. If you describe something as premium, they’re picturing a certain finish and feel.

    Those expectations matter.

    When the product arrives exactly as described, on the timeline you gave, it creates relief – and relief builds trust.

    1. Personalize Without Being Stalkerish

    Personalizing your service should feel like a good memory, not surveillance.

    Think about how it feels when someone remembers your café order. It’s warm. It’s flattering. Now imagine that same person reciting everywhere you’ve visited that week.

    Somewhat different energy from data-driven marketing – one is thoughtful, one is disturbing.

    Keep it helpful. Recommend what genuinely fits.

    Customers don’t mind you remembering what they bought or ordered, or the things that make their lives easier. What unsettles them is when brands are overly specific or use data that customers don’t recall giving them.

    1. Communicate Proactively

    Proactive communication is made possible when it is backed by the right systems and technology.

    At scale, you simply cannot rely on memory or scattered inboxes. This is where brands start asking, what are CRM platforms?

    In practical terms, they’re structured databases that track every interaction, from purchases, service tickets, and preferences, to delivery timelines and renewal options.

    The result is operational reliability. Customers don’t have to ask twice. They don’t need to repeat themselves. Proactive communication, powered by smart systems, infinitely builds trust at scale.

    1. Loyalty Perks

    Loyalty perks shouldn’t feel like a complicated system that needs a calculator and a notebook.

    The best ones feel thoughtful and intentional. Early access to a new launch. A small unexpected gift. Discounted deliveries. These all help customers feel valued and appreciated.

    You don’t need to give away half your margin. You just need to acknowledge repeated support. These things are what turn once-off buyers into loyal brand ambassadors.

    1. Connect Customers To Something Bigger

    Creating a sense of community is simply giving customers a reason to hang around when they’re not actively buying.

    Show them what’s happening in the warehouse, the showroom, or the studio – the real stuff. Share launches early. Ask their opinion on things. Feature their homes, their offices, their photos, and their wins.

    The goal is connection. When people feel recognised, they stop shopping around – they come back because your brand feels familiar.

    Final Words

    Real loyalty forms when customers feel respected at every stage – before, during, and after a purchase.

    That accumulation of trust transforms first-time buyers into committed supporters who return naturally and recommend you without batting an eyelid.

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    Tech Digest Correspondent

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  • Inclusion Isn’t a Nice-to-Have, But a Must-Have Innovation Strategy 

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    You’ve surely heard it before: fail fast, build MVPs, test and iterate. For years, speed has been the golden rule in innovation. However, in 2025, the smartest path to growth isn’t building in isolation. Instead, leaders must build through inclusion. Instead of trying to craft the perfect new offer behind closed doors and nervously rolling it out to your audience, consider a different approach. The best strategy is to prototype it live, in front of your customer. You might even do this with their help. That’s not just brave, it’s smart. 

    Recent research from the 2025 Workplace Wellbeing Initiative found that teams that openly tested and iterated ideas with real stakeholders reported faster traction, stronger buy-in, and significantly less burnout. It turns out, people don’t just want you to sell them something. They want to feel part of what they’re buying. Inclusion isn’t nice-to-have. It’s a traction strategy. 

    When you’re selling ideas, involve people early. 

    While I think it works broadly, I’ve found this strategy is especially powerful in the world of services such as coaching, consulting, learning, and advisory work. Why? You don’t have the benefit of a shiny product to demo. If your business is more like mine as a coach, you’re selling transformation and possibility. So how do you prototype that? 

    You show the rough draft, and you pitch the half-baked version. You say, “I’m building this—would this work for you?” It doesn’t need to be polished. In fact, in a world flooded with AI-generated perfection, raw and real is often more compelling. 

    If you’ve been thinking about a new offer, you can ask yourself this question: Are you trying to guess what your customer wants? Are you inviting them into the room to help shape it? That shift can change everything. 

    What co-creation can look like 

    You don’t need a massive production to start. Co-creation can be simple. It might look like hosting a “service design” session with a few trusted clients, running a low-cost pilot offer with real-time feedback loops, or sharing a visual draft or one-pager and asking, “Would this solve your problem?” 

    You’re not just testing the viability of your strategy. You’re creating space for your audience to say, “Make it this way—for me.” That moment of shared authorship is where buy-in begins. It’s the new gold standard for innovation. 

    Don’t wait for perfection.  

    It might feel uncomfortable at first. However, the real risk isn’t showing something unfinished. The real risk is spending six months polishing something no one asked for. So, here’s your challenge: What service, idea, or offering have you been overthinking? Do you have one in mind? OK, agree to stop perfecting it. Instead, start testing it with your customer in the loop.  

    Build the Google Doc. Share the napkin sketch. Invite their input early. Let them shape the thing you’re trying to sell. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to exist. It also needs to evolve with the people it’s meant to serve. Action creates clarity. But co-creation? That type of strategy creates momentum. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Robin Camarote

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  • The 1 Conversation You Should Have With Every Customer, Employee, and Anyone You Work With

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    How can you have better relationships with your employees, customers, investors, boss, or anyone else you work with? One simple thing can make a huge difference: Have a conversation about alignment.

    That powerful idea comes from Melody Wilding, a human behavior expert, executive coach, and author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need From the People in Charge (Crown Currency, 2025). The book explores ten conversations that Wilding considers essential. All ten are well worth learning about, but I believe the alignment conversation is the most important of all. And it’s the best place to start.

    What is an alignment conversation? It’s a way to learn how your work, or your product, fits in with you customer’s goals. “The alignment conversation is all about figuring out how your work fits into the bigger picture and making sure you and your boss agree on what success looks like,” Wilding writes. The idea applies just as much to a key client or customer. You need to know what your customer hopes to get from working with your or buying your product or service. Otherwise, you’ll never know what success looks like to them. You’ll have to guess about your customer’s priorities and some of the time you may guess wrong.

    Making sure you’re meeting customers’ needs.

    For example, let’s say they’ve asked for some recommendations about a new initiative they’re considering. You might spend several weeks crunching through the research. You might present them with a polished report, complete with graphics, charts, and detailed data. But the customer might have preferred a more informal estimate delivered in 24 hours or less.

    If you’ve never had an alignment conversation, you might never learn that what you delivered didn’t quite fit their needs. But if you and your customer regularly discuss their objectives and how your work fits in with those, chances are you’ll know whether a quick estimate or a detailed report is the better offering in this specific situation. Better yet, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what work to prioritize, and where you might be wasting your time.

    Although Wilding is focused on readers’ relationship with their boss, it’s just as important to have the alignment conversation with everyone who works for you. That will help them be more productive because they’ll know which tasks really make a difference and which don’t add much value. If they’re feeling overwhelmed with too many tasks and aren’t sure where to start, the alignment conversation will help them figure out their priorities.

    Have the conversation with employees too.

    And the alignment conversation with your employees should be a two-way street. You should tell the employee about your goals and priorities, but also ask about theirs. How does working for your company fit with their objectives? Not everyone will give you a straightforward answer to this question. But the more you know about their goals, the more you can do to keep them happy and engaged. For example, if someone wants to climb to the top of your industry, you can look for opportunities for them to speak at conferences. If someone else is balancing work with parenting small children, you can provide greater flexibility in their job.

    How to ask for an alignment conversation.

    It’s best to schedule the conversation in advance so there will be enough time to fully explore the topic. That will give you time to dig deeper and ask follow-up questions to make sure you fully understand what they have in mind.

    If you and the other person have never had one before, asking for an alignment conversation may feel a bit awkward. But most people appreciate being asked about their objectives and priorities, so it will usually be a welcome topic. Wilding recommends saying something like this: “I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to our priorities. Chatting about this would help me better understand what’s top of mind for you.”

    Have the alignment conversation regularly.

    Finally, don’t let the alignment conversation be a one-time event. Goals and priorities change over time. So you should probably plan to have an alignment conversation at least every six months to a year. After all, the better aligned you are with your customers, employees, and other key stakeholders, the better it will be for your business, and for you.

    There’s a growing audience of Inc.com readers who receive a daily text from me with a self-care or motivational micro-challenge or tip. Often, they text me back and we wind up in a conversation. (Want to know more? Here’s some information about the texts and a special invitation to a two-month free trial.) Many of my subscribers are entrepreneurs or business leaders. They know how important it is to make sure they’re aligned with what their customers and other stakeholders care about. Having an alignment conversation can be a great way to do that. Should you give it a try?

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Minda Zetlin

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  • ‘The Customer Success Talent Playbook’ Is Here to Level Up Teams

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    Since its inception in the 1990s, customer success (CS) has evolved from a reactive support function to a proactive growth engine. It has grown up in the SaaS era and the AI-assisted age. Now, it is at a pivotal point to drive AI-native company success. Yet many companies still struggle to fully harness the full potential of CS. Often, outdated approaches to talent acquisition, development, and progression within their CS teams weigh them down. That’s precisely why I co-wrote The Customer Success Talent Playbook, a new book designed to fundamentally change how organizations perceive and cultivate customer success. 

    For too long, customer success has been viewed as a role for individuals with excellent people skills or a background in traditional account management. While these traits are valuable, they represent only a fraction of what’s truly needed for strategic customer success in the modern era. This book shares strategies for all sides, CSMs to leaders, job seekers to hiring managers, to learn how to grow and thrive in this fast-moving function.  

    A playbook for modern customer success 

    The Customer Success Talent Playbook provides a comprehensive framework for CS transformation through standardization. It delves into critical areas, including: 

    • Defining the modern recruiting process. The book outlines the specific competencies and skill sets required for success in various CS roles. This ranges from individual contributors to leadership positions.  
    • Strategic titling and compensation. A well-crafted title is a set of expectations and an external signal to the market. Without them, individuals and companies can drown in mismatches and costs. This book outlines common pitfalls and how to easily overcome them. 
    • Measuring and optimizing CS progression. This book guides leaders and individuals on how to plan for, hire, and grow through skill progression and competencies. 
    • Building effectiveness through fit. Finding the right company or job is key to balancing employee retention and effectiveness. It not only reduces costs long term, but also drives results through fit as a framework. 
    • Networking to grow and evolve. The best enabler of growth and leadership is whom you know and what help they give you. This book dives into the how, what, and who of networking and community for growth. 
    • Developing a culture of continuous learning. The customer success landscape is constantly evolving. This book highlights the importance of ongoing training and development to ensure CS professionals are equipped with the latest knowledge and skills. 

    The value of investing in CS talent 

    The Customer Success Talent Playbook, now available on Amazon, is a call to action for businesses to rethink their investment in CS talent. It’s not just about filling a role. It’s about strategically building a team that will be the foundation of your customer strategy, driving long-term value and sustainable growth. By adopting the principles and practices, companies can truly transform their customer success teams. They will shift from unclear operational cost centers to well-defined profit drivers, ensuring their customers not only stay but thrive alongside them. 

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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    Parul Bhandari

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  • Amazon is paying $2.5 billion to settle FTC claims it duped customers into signing up for Prime

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    Amazon will pay a record civil penalty to settle a case with the Federal Trade Commission. The agency accused Amazon of tricking consumers into signing up for a Prime membership without their consent and making it hard for customers to cancel in a lawsuit filed in 2023.

    To settle the charges, Amazon has agreed to pay a $1 billion civil penalty and $1.5 billion to refund customers. The company also agreed to “ease unlawful enrollment and cancellation practices for Prime,” per the FTC.

    The agency says the civil penalty is the largest ever for a case involving a breach of its rules — it had accused Amazon of violating the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. The $1.5 billion in consumer redress will provide “full relief for the estimated 35 million consumers impacted by unwanted Prime enrollment or deferred cancellation,” the FTC said. It added that this is the second-highest restitution award it has ever obtained.

    Moreover, Amazon will be prohibited from using some of the dark patterns (i.e. deceptive design practices) it has employed to dissuade customers from canceling Prime memberships. For instance, the settlement precludes it from displaying a button that reads, “No, I don’t want Free Shipping” during the cancellation flow. Instead, it will have to show a “a clear and conspicuous button for customers to decline Prime,” per the terms of the settlement, which does not include an admission of guilt on Amazon’s part.

    The company will also have to provide clearer information about a Prime subscription to consumers during the sign-up process. This will include details about the price, whether the subscription auto-renews and how to cancel.

    “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” Amazon spokesperson Mark Blafkin said in a statement provided to Engadget. “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world. We will continue to do so, and look forward to what we’ll deliver for Prime members in the coming years.”

    Update September 25, 1:47PM ET: Added Amazon’s statement and clarified that the settlement doesn’t include an admission of guilt.

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    Kris Holt

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  • How to Leverage Authenticity to Build True Customer Loyalty | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Build trust through authenticity. That’s not a slogan or a strategy. It’s something I practice every day in my company. Why is authenticity important? Consumers today are more informed and have the means to compare brands at their fingertips, anywhere, at any time, making them less loyal than ever.

    They’re also bombarded with marketing, ads and polished brand statements at every turn. But what they really want is to connect on a human level. They want to feel seen, heard and valued.

    At our recent team retreat, we spent most of the time talking about Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara — the idea that businesses should go beyond what’s expected to care more, listen more, and create moments that feel personal and real.

    Unreasonable hospitality hits home for my team because it’s all about thinking outside the customer service box and showing that you genuinely care. That’s been my company’s M.O. from the very beginning.

    Related: How to Bring Authenticity to Your Startup’s Marketing Strategy

    Experiences sell

    We’re in a time when features just aren’t enough to win people over. Especially in industries like dentistry (or fitness, or financial services or home services) where most direct competitors are offering something pretty similar, the difference is in the experience.

    I want my clients’ patients to remember how they felt more than whether they received the product or service they wanted. That personal connection will keep them coming back and drive them to refer others.

    Realness matters

    One thing I’ve come to appreciate since starting my own business is the freedom to be my authentic self. I don’t have to conform to someone else’s brand or voice or hide any part of my identity. I engage in substantive conversations with my clients every day, free from the bureaucracy and limitations of corporate marketing agencies.

    Because my clients know they’re getting the real me and not someone towing the corporate line, they also feel freer to reveal who they truly are. When that happens, we get to the heart of what they need and want right away and can get to work much faster.

    Trying to be trendy isn’t trendy

    With TikTok and Instagram ruling social media, it’s been a race for brands big and small to dominate on these platforms. Some have figured out how to make social media trends work for them, while others have failed miserably. As a marketing professional, the most important piece of advice I can offer a client is this: If something doesn’t feel like you, don’t do it.

    If a certain trend doesn’t seem like something your company would do, your audience will know. People can feel the difference between something genuine and something forced. You don’t have to jump on every new trend or copy what other brands are doing. Staying true to your brand’s values will serve your business better in the long term and help you avoid social media snafus that may be hard to recover from. No one wants to go viral for the wrong reasons.

    Related: How to Ensure Authenticity in Marketing and Build a Loyal Audience

    If you want humans to like you, be human

    While good customer service is essential, at the end of the day, it’s not enough to separate one business from another. To create loyal customers, or patients in the case of my clients, you must evoke emotions. How someone feels after they’ve completed a transaction, received a service, spoken to your receptionist on the phone or interacted with the staff in your office — that’s going to stick with them.

    That’s what they’ll remember next time they need the product or service your company provides. That’s what they’ll talk about to their friends and family members. And that’s what will bring them back.

    Build trust through authenticity. That’s not a slogan or a strategy. It’s something I practice every day in my company. Why is authenticity important? Consumers today are more informed and have the means to compare brands at their fingertips, anywhere, at any time, making them less loyal than ever.

    They’re also bombarded with marketing, ads and polished brand statements at every turn. But what they really want is to connect on a human level. They want to feel seen, heard and valued.

    At our recent team retreat, we spent most of the time talking about Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara — the idea that businesses should go beyond what’s expected to care more, listen more, and create moments that feel personal and real.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Jackie Cullen

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  • How Pana Food Truck Started Selling Arepas | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    German Sierra, founder of Pana Food Truck in Santa Cruz, California, never imagined his craving for a childhood comfort food would lead him to build a thriving business with a loyal following and the distinction of Yelp’s Top 100 Food Trucks.

    “My brother and I came to the United States in 2016 [from Venezuela],” he says. “There weren’t any arepas. We actually eat arepas every day in Venezuela, so we needed them. My brother was like, ‘Hey, why don’t we make some arepas and take them to the streets, and maybe people will buy them?’”

    Armed with foil-wrapped arepas and homemade Venezuelan juices, the brothers set up outside a supermarket. They didn’t sell a single one. A police officer stopped them, asking for a permit they didn’t know they needed. Instead of giving up, Sierra gave the food away and kept searching for a way forward.

    Related: They Built Their First Restaurant With Their ‘Bare Hands.’ Now They Have 380 Locations.

    “Sometimes there’s a little miscommunication between entities. Sometimes the health department will [have] different rules than the city,” Sierra says, describing the challenges he faced trying to get his business off the ground. “There are specific places to park. You cannot park everywhere because there’s gonna be competition with restaurants.”

    As a business with one core offering, Sierra had to sell the value of arepas to customers who had never heard of them.

    “It was hard in the beginning — and [is] still hard — to convince people why we don’t have other dishes,” Sierra says. “We wanted to focus on arepas [so] there is no confusion of what we sell, and it’s memorable.”

    Small adjustments, like listing arepas as “chicken” or “beef” on the menu, helped introduce the dish to American diners and reduce confusion without losing cultural authenticity. “When customers come, they want 30-second decisions — no half an hour figuring out the menu and what to get,” Sierra says.

    Related: He Grew His Small Business to a $25 Million Operation By Following These 5 Principles

    As word spread, Sierra focused on making connections with customers, pairing education about the food with free samples to encourage repeat visits. Early on, he recognized that an excellent customer experience made people more likely to choose Pana over another restaurant.

    “I didn’t wanna be just in the food truck business,” he says. “I want to be in the heart-warming business, because the food makes your heart warm. That’s the emotion I want to create every time.”

    Now celebrating six years in business, Pana continues to grow while staying true to its roots. In 2025, Sierra and his wife, Gabriella Ramirez, opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz. “It wasn’t an overnight success, and we’re still growing and improving,” Sierra says. “We are just a baby, and there’s so much that we can change and improve.”

    For Sierra, every arepa is a chance to share a piece of home, and to build what he calls “an arepa empire, one arepa at a time.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    After turning a craving for arepas into one of Yelp’s Top 100 Food Trucks of 2025 and opening a brick-and-mortar, Sierra’s advice for current and future business owners is clear:

    • Start small but stay consistent. Break overwhelming challenges into smaller steps and commit to showing up for your customers every day.
    • Adapt to your audience while staying authentic. Customer education can help your audience understand new offerings and grow goodwill in your community.
    • Lead with generosity. Warm service and meaningful interactions matter just as much as what’s on the menu. Customers return not only for flavor, but also for connection.
    • Think about the big picture. For Sierra, selling arepas was never just about food — it was about creating heart-warming experiences. Any platform, whether it’s a food truck or restaurant, can be a vehicle to share your mission.
    • Play the long game. Building something meaningful takes time, patience and passion. If your business isn’t an immediate success, research the steps you’ll need to take to achieve smaller goals that get you closer to your vision.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from German Sierra, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Food Trucks Turn Dining Into a Live Reality Show Experience | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Chris Brown doesn’t just run food trucks. He runs a broadcast studio on wheels.

    At World Famous, every truck doubles as a stage, outfitted with cameras, livestreams and even Ring doorbell cameras. Brown, who calls himself “China Man Live” when streaming, oversees five food trucks along with four restaurant locations across Florida and Georgia.

    Customers don’t just line up for food; they put on a show for his cameras. Some dance. Some rap. One woman even played the harmonica. Brown turned those moments into the “Chat with China Man” giveaway, a bracket-style competition where fans compete on camera for a $10,000 prize. The result is part restaurant, part reality show.

    “It’s showtime,” Brown says. “You gotta put on something. People come out because they’ve been hearing about me for so long. The experience has to be there.”

    That experience feels more like an amusement park ride than a quick bite to eat. Fans wait in lines for over an hour, excited for the Championship Egg Roll Food Truck Tour.

    Brown himself compares it to a ride at Disney World. Behind the scenes, he has built the infrastructure to make the magic possible. His trucks carry 4K cameras, BirdDog joysticks and AI-driven meeting cameras that let him virtually appear at any location.

    From his broadcast control center, he merges internet systems and drops into different sites in real time, greeting crowds as if he cloned himself.

    The setup recalls a national news network, except the subject is egg rolls. Customers don’t just order food, they join a live broadcast watched by thousands online. When Brown shows up in person, the energy multiplies. “I’m like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny everywhere I go,” he laughs, showing off the sparkly grill on his teeth.

    For Brown, selling egg rolls is only half the story. The other half is creating a spectacle big enough to match the name World Famous.

    Related: This Global Beverage Giant Will Help Market Your Restaurant — For Free. Here Are the Details.

    An accidental superpower

    Brown never planned to run a restaurant. His first attempt nearly collapsed.

    When he opened a small takeout spot almost a decade ago, he hired cooks to run the kitchen while he handled the business side. It fell apart. “They were just taking me for a paycheck, taking me for a ride,” he admits. Right before closing the doors, his wife asked what was next. Brown’s answer surprised even himself: He would step into the kitchen.

    What he found there changed everything. “I realized I have a superpower like an X-Man,” he says. That superpower was a sharp palate and a knack for creativity. He experimented with oxtail fat burgers and scratch-made sauces, but knew burgers and wings would only carry him so far. To stand out, he turned to egg rolls.

    Related: He Went from Tech CEO to Dishwasher. Now, He’s Behind 320 Restaurants and $750 Million in Assets.

    His first flavors, including Philly cheesesteak, chicken Philly and his yin-yang sauce, were instant hits. Soon he was competing in food festivals across Florida, beating Italian restaurants at Magic City Casino and winning first place with his Cuban-inspired “croquette roll.” He didn’t just enter competitions; he dominated them.

    Crowds followed. At food truck roundups, Brown’s lines stretched so long that other vendors complained. Rather than back down, he leaned into the demand and created the Championship Egg Roll Food Truck Tour, a traveling circuit that draws thousands each weekend.

    Expansion soon followed with restaurants, commissaries and fleets of trucks across Florida and Georgia. Through it all, Brown has been relentless about consistency. “I’m like [Gordon] Ramsay on steroids in my commissary,” he says. “I just want everything to come out perfect.”

    Now that same obsession fuels his technology. From 4K cameras to AI-driven systems, Brown has turned food trucks into a connected network of kitchens and studios. Every egg roll is made to standard, every interaction is captured on camera, and every customer becomes part of the show. For Brown, food and broadcast are inseparable, and together, they just might make World Famous live up to its name.

    Related: People Line Up Down the Block to Try This Iconic NYC Pizza. Now, It Could Be Coming to Your City.

    About Restaurant Influencers

    Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

    Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast.

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • How Cava Grew From One to 380 Locations | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Ted Xenohristos, co-founder and chief concept officer of Cava, drew inspiration from his immigrant parents’ Greek heritage and the food he ate growing up. What began as a humble restaurant inside an old Russian bakery in Rockville, Maryland, blossomed into a national brand with 380 locations across 28 states and Washington, D.C.

    “We wanted to do it for an affordable price and [offer] something that people could share,” Xenohristos says. “We built that first restaurant with our bare hands. Everything [was] from the Dollar Store, Target, Home Goods.”

    The first few weeks of business were filled with uncertainty and long hours. Xenohristos and Cava CEO Brett Schulman poured their energy into constructing the brand’s first location, building it from the ground up. Without a marketing budget, they relied instead on something more powerful: authenticity and hospitality.

    Related: He Grew His Small Business to a $25 Million Operation By Following These 5 Principles

    “We used our Mediterranean hospitality that we grew up knowing, without a marketing budget, without signs outside, without a POS system,” Xenohristos says. “We gave people free things — free drinks, free food, free dessert — and they eventually told other people, and before you knew it, that little restaurant had a really long line.”

    As word spread and momentum built, the founders realized they had tapped into something much bigger than a single restaurant. In just over six months, they opened a second location and expanded operations to include a retail line of dips and spreads, bringing Mediterranean flavors into grocery stores.

    Despite its rapid rise as one of Yelp’s fastest-growing brands of 2025, Cava never strayed from its core values of generosity and Mediterranean hospitality.

    “One of the reasons we started this business was to take care of people and to change the culture,” Xenohristos says. “We love food, we wanted to share it, but we really wanted to change how people were treated. It starts with that.”

    The brand’s mission statement is “to bring heart, health and humanity to food.”

    The company’s leaders demonstrate heart by caring for guests and staff, health through fresh Mediterranean ingredients and humanity by fostering connection and community inside and outside the company.

    “All those things together keep that culture alive,” Xenohristos says. “We still work hard to execute on that dream, to have a greater culture and restaurant.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    Making culture a cornerstone of the business includes providing meaningful employee benefits, such as tuition discounts, family planning assistance, accessible healthcare and mental health resources. Cava also hosts an annual conference designed to foster connection and collaboration among general managers.

    This culture extends to the customer experience. Even in the fast-casual dining space, Cava’s team finds ways to create meaningful human connections. One such initiative is the “love button,” a tool that empowers employees to cover a customer’s meal if they notice someone having a rough day.

    Xenohristos says this initiative is all about “giving our team members the tools to be able to share that generosity that’s ingrained in us and our culture.”

    While no journey is without its challenges, Cava’s values continue to push the brand forward, redefining how guests experience food and hospitality. “As we continue to grow, the more we can do what we set out to do, which was change the restaurant industry,” Xenohristos says.

    His advice for current and future business leaders is clear:

    • Lead with purpose and heart. Building a business rooted in hospitality, care and connection creates lasting impact — for both your team and your customers.
    • Make culture your cornerstone. A thoughtful employee experience does more than retain talent; it distinguishes your brand.
    • Grow without losing your roots. No matter how big you scale, stay grounded in the mission that started it all. Authenticity is your most valuable asset.
    • Empower generosity. Give your team tools to care about their work, people and purpose. Small acts of kindness create big ripple effects.
    • Don’t just follow the industry — change it. Cava didn’t just open restaurants. It built a movement around food, humanity and culture, proving that chains can be both scalable and mission-driven.

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Xenohristos, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Here’s Where Prince St. Pizza Is Opening Next | Entrepreneur

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    Lawrence Longo is certain about one thing: America needs a great national pizza brand.

    Not just a chain that cranks out slices, but a name that stands for quality, heritage and the kind of flavor people will travel for. “Our goal is to be that premium slice shop in America,” he tells Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef.

    That mission is at the heart of his work growing Prince St. Pizza from a single shop into a brand with locations across the country.

    The story started on a block in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, where the original Prince St. Pizza has been drawing crowds for years. Its pepperoni square slice is an icon: crispy-edged, overflowing with curl and dripping with flavor.

    Longo was a fan before he was a partner. “I used to go in as a customer,” he says. “I loved the pizza; I loved the energy in the shop. I could feel how much it meant to people.”

    Related: He Went from Tech CEO to Dishwasher. Now, He’s Behind 320 Restaurants and $750 Million in Assets.

    That connection turned into conversations. Longo got to know the owners, learning not just about the recipes but about the pride and history behind them. “We started talking about what it could be,” he recalls. “I told them, ‘This isn’t just a slice shop. This is a brand that could mean something in every city.’”

    Eventually, that dialogue became a partnership, grounded in a shared commitment to keep the product and culture intact. Now the expansion is real. This interview took place inside a new Prince St. Pizza in Las Vegas, just steps from the Strip.

    The crowd here is a mix of locals and visitors, but the slice in their hands tastes just like it would in SoHo. “That’s the goal,” Longo says. “No matter where you are, when you bite into it, it should feel like you’re in New York.”

    The Las Vegas shop is just one of several new locations, each chosen carefully. “We don’t just go anywhere,” he explains. “We look for cities where Prince St. can fit in and still stand out. And then we build the right team to protect what makes it special.”

    For Longo, it is not simply about growing bigger. It is about creating a national pizza brand without losing the soul of the original.

    Related: His Sushi Burger Got 50 Million Views — and Launched an Entire Business

    The next great American pizza brand

    Prince St. Pizza’s footprint is getting bigger, and the momentum is real. New locations are opening in markets like Miami and Dallas. Each one matches the quality and culture of the original SoHo shop. Celebrity customers have become part of the story. Usher. Adam Sandler. Dave Portnoy. They aren’t there for photo ops. They come in because they like the pizza.

    “They try, and they come back, and they like the brand,” Longo says. Being in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago means crossing paths with people who live for good food, whether they are famous or not.

    Growth also brings noise. “The bigger you get, the more haters you get,” Longo says. “You can’t listen to the noise. You want to listen to everybody, but you gotta just keep your head down, worry about yourself, do the best job you can and focus on your customers.”

    Related: Von Miller Learned About Chicken Farming in a College Class – And It Became the Inspiration for a Business That Counts Patrick Mahomes as an Investor

    That mindset is what allows Longo to keep expanding without losing the flavor and culture that made Prince St. Pizza a destination in the first place.

    Every new store is another chance to prove that a premium slice shop can scale nationally without losing what made it special.

    “Every time you open a new restaurant, you learn something new about your brand,” Longo says, “and we’re only getting better.”

    It’s the same goal he set from the start — to take Prince St. Pizza from a single shop in New York to a true national brand. And for Longo, the recipe for getting there is simple: protect the product, protect the culture and keep serving slices worth traveling for.

    Related: This Restaurant CEO Created His Own National Holiday (and Turned It Into a Business Strategy)

    About Restaurant Influencers

    Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

    Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast.

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    Shawn P. Walchef

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  • Closer or Colder? How AI Shapes Your Customer Relationships | Entrepreneur

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    I’m not going to lie, the latest generation of AI, especially large language models and agentic AI, is nothing short of impressive. At Human Cloud, we used tools like Claude and Windsurf to accomplish in 5 minutes what had previously taken us 5 years.

    On the surface, it’s a story of overnight magic. But dig deeper and you’ll find that the real magic wasn’t the AI itself; it was the five years of groundwork that came before. We spent that time using spreadsheets, Canva graphics, CRM automations and hacky off-the-shelf tools to create the right sales and delivery motion, and validate our customers’ needs.

    Only then did the AI become a true accelerator, as we used Claude, Windsurf and AWS to create the Human Cloud Platform in less than 5 minutes.

    This brings up a crucial point. AI can easily be a distraction, prioritizing hype and buzz over real revenue and profitability. Why? Because the fundamental principle of business remains unchanged: every breakthrough starts with a deep understanding of what your customers need.

    Before you invest another dollar in AI, ask yourself one question: Is this technology making us closer to our customers, or pulling us further away?

    Here are five steps to ensure AI helps you get closer.

    1. Manually implement before automating

    “Do things that don’t scale” is a famous startup moniker brought up by Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, in his essay in 2013. As a 4x founder myself, this ethos has always run true.

    In the case of AI, in every scenario, ask yourself if there is a manual alternative. If there is, try that first, then automate based on customer demand.

    Related: LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman: To Scale, Do Things That Don’t Scale

    2: Capture enough manual feedback

    Step 1 is only half the story. The other half is ensuring you have enough of the right type of feedback to automate what really works. My strongest recommendation is to capture feedback that’s closest to customers actually paying, engaging and sharing.

    I learned this the hard way in a former startup. We spent 3 months listening and iterating on prototypes based on feedback. We were maniacal in the level of detail we captured, from the user experience to the design. Then we launched, and less than 5% of these users actually paid. Instead, we shouldn’t have listened to what they said, but instead prioritized what they did.

    If you want a book to help you capture the right type of feedback, check out The Mom Test.

    Related: How the ‘Mom Test’ Can Help You Cut Through B.S. and Find Important Answers

    3: Make AI accessible for everyone, not just AI experts

    Rather than investing in an AI team or hiring AI experts, give everyone an opportunity to apply AI across their team and their work.

    Preston Mossman, Senior Director of AI Consulting for Galaxy Square, told me, “learning to use AI is a muscle you have to build. A lot of people self-select out because they can’t use AI today to help them, but the first step is to accelerate their comfort and understanding in a way that feels valuable to them.”

    When asking Preston about ways companies have helped their leaders get comfortable with it, he brought up investing in AI-related tools for interested individuals.

    In his words, “if your mechanic told you about a $50 wrench that could get your job done just as well for half the cost, you would buy it for them or find a new mechanic (with the $50 wrench).”

    Leaders not using AI in 5 years will be like leaders not using a computer today.

    Related: Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without the Right Talent in Place

    4: Hire independent experts first

    Telling someone to use AI with no support is like telling someone to jump out of a plane without a parachute.

    Obviously, hiring AI experts as full-time employees would be expensive and out of reach for most of us. Likewise, AI trainings take time, might be expensive, and rarely has direct applicability from training to application.

    But a shortcut is hiring individuals who already use AI, as 65% of independent experts were already using AI as far back as 2024, and 95% of independent experts stated that AI makes them more competitive.

    This brings up step 4: to hire flexible talent first, with flexible talent defined as independent, freelance, and fractional experts.

    The data is clear that flexible talent upskills faster than full-time employees and is ahead of the curve in AI adoption and effectiveness. It’s not just AI, Deloitte research shows that the independent workforce upskills faster than their full-time peers.

    There are also four massive benefits of flexible talent compared to full-time. You can control cost. You have a quicker time to effectiveness. You learn by seeing their expertise. And the most important benefit is that this is the future workforce.

    To get started, look for a flexible talent platform that is specialized in your region, industry, and the application you need AI for. There are over 800 of these specialized solutions.

    Related: Solopreneurship and Freelancing Is Here to Stay — Are You Ready?

    5: Scale like the cloud

    We take for granted how transformational cloud computing has been for us entrepreneurs. Without getting too geeky, what it really did was enable us to scale in line with customer demand rather than taking big bets because of large fixed costs.

    Apply this same mindset to AI.

    Do you think your AI idea is the next big breakthrough that will transform your company, your industry, and the world? That’s great. Now go through steps 1-4 before you bet the farm.

    I’m not going to lie, the latest generation of AI, especially large language models and agentic AI, is nothing short of impressive. At Human Cloud, we used tools like Claude and Windsurf to accomplish in 5 minutes what had previously taken us 5 years.

    On the surface, it’s a story of overnight magic. But dig deeper and you’ll find that the real magic wasn’t the AI itself; it was the five years of groundwork that came before. We spent that time using spreadsheets, Canva graphics, CRM automations and hacky off-the-shelf tools to create the right sales and delivery motion, and validate our customers’ needs.

    Only then did the AI become a true accelerator, as we used Claude, Windsurf and AWS to create the Human Cloud Platform in less than 5 minutes.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Matthew Mottola

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  • How to Consistently Exceed Customer Expectations | Entrepreneur

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    We’ve all heard the phrase, “underpromise and overdeliver.” Unfortunately, I often see businesses that tend to “overpromise and underdeliver,” failing to meet customers’ expectations.

    For me, it all comes down to trust. Can I rely on a company to consistently meet and exceed my expectations? As entrepreneurs, this can be a difficult question to confront. However, if you’re unsure how to respond, it may be time to reflect on your practices.

    Consistently exceeding expectations earns appreciation from others. What we truly desire is trust. In a landscape filled with wannabes trying to mimic reputable companies, the most effective strategy to differentiate yourself is not only to meet expectations but also to exceed them and then offer a little bit more.

    Related: If You Are Not Over Delivering for Your Customers, You’re Not Doing Enough

    Establish realistic expectations, then overdeliver

    Unfortunately, today’s consumers can grow accustomed to disappointment. That’s why companies that set realistic expectations are better positioned to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction. Here’s an example:

    While driving to lunch last week, a radio ad for replacement auto windshields caught my attention. Instead of touting how wonderful and fast the installers work or how great the company’s reviews and customer accolades are, the ad used a different strategy; they focused on realistic circumstances.

    “We may not always be perfect. Sometimes our employees punch in the wrong number or have trouble locating your address. At other times, we might underestimate how much time an installation will take. No, we’re not perfect, but you can rest assured that we’ll always do our best, make things right when needed and do everything possible to earn and keep your business.”

    The ad definitely caught my attention because I appreciated the company’s candor and honesty. In a world where most of us try to tune advertisements out, I’ll consider using the company the next time I need my windshield repaired or replaced.

    Why? Because my employees and I at Ditto Transcripts sometimes make mistakes. In the transcription industry, where turnaround time, accuracy and confidentiality are paramount, securing our clients’ trust and confidence remains our top priority. If we fail at any of these objectives, or if our transcripts don’t meet our 99% accuracy guarantee, I’ll do everything possible to correct the situation and satisfy the client as quickly as possible.

    The hidden ROI of overdelivery

    Most businesses strive to acquire new clients or customers, and on average, B2B companies can spend 20-50% of their annual revenue on this effort. Therefore, turning new clients into repeat customers is crucial for any company’s success.

    Given that repeat business is vital to our strategy and profitability, I personally review customer feedback and assess our service levels.

    For example, our Google reviews may include statements such as:

    • “Our transcripts were delivered early and accurately.”

    • “Their transcriptionist caught every word, even with poor audio quality.”

    • “You saved us, especially having such a tight deadline.”

    I genuinely appreciate it when our clients take the time to share positive feedback, as these reviews typically lead to repeat business. Moreover, when potential clients read favorable reviews, they are more likely to consider us for their transcription needs.

    By ensuring our clients are satisfied with our work, we can minimize or eliminate negative reviews. Always remember, taking the necessary steps to enhance customer satisfaction ultimately improves your return on investment (ROI) and bottom line.

    Related: This Is the Real Secret to Exceeding Your Customer’s Expectations

    What overdelivery looks like

    Often, it’s the small gestures that leave a lasting impression. For instance, sending a thank-you email to a new client is usually appreciated. However, a handwritten note can generate an even stronger sense of gratitude. Paying attention to these small details can lead to greater rewards.

    Consider what “overdelivery” looks like for your business. In our industry, it might include:

    1. Delivering transcripts ahead of schedule

    2. Proactively communicating with clients when issues arise

    3. Adding speaker labels or formatting without being prompted

    4. Following up with clients after delivery

    It’s important to note that “overdelivery” does not mean working for free or providing services at a significant loss. Instead, it involves exceeding client expectations through speed, accuracy, and quality. By focusing on successfully handling the small things, you may be surprised at the positive impact on your bottom line.

    Common mistakes that erode trust

    We’ve discussed many common mistakes that can erode trust and lead to revenue loss. However, a few of these mistakes are worth repeating.

    The first mistake is overcommitting while trying to secure new business. Most entrepreneurs have experienced this situation: Just as we’re nearing the finish line and sensing that our prospect is about to commit, a couple of concerns arise. In an effort to close the deal, we may overpromise without a clear plan for how to meet the customer’s expectations. Does that sound familiar?

    Overpromising simply to close a deal often results in underperformance and dissatisfied customers. To avoid this, it’s crucial to set realistic expectations from the start. Make sure to acknowledge the prospect’s concerns and assure them that you’ll develop a strategy to address their needs.

    Additionally, maintain open communication with the client to ensure their needs are consistently met. If, for any reason, you find that you cannot meet their expectations, be honest and communicate this as well.

    By establishing reasonable expectations, you and your team will have a better chance of overcoming challenges and pleasing the client. For example, saying, “Yes, Ms. Smith, I’m confident we can meet your 36-hour turnaround,” and then delivering the transcript sooner can help build trust and encourage repeat business.

    Build a culture of consistent overdelivery

    Now that you understand the importance of underpromising and overdelivering, it’s essential to instill this culture within your team. Leadership begins at the top, so ensure your employees comprehend your commitment to this approach. Focus not only on how this strategy benefits the company’s bottom line, but also on how it positively impacts individual employees.

    Start by evaluating your hiring practices. Are you looking for employees who take pride in delivering exceptional service? Acknowledge those who go “above and beyond.” Building loyalty and trust within your organization often leads to happier employees and satisfied customers.

    Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to improve quality control and internal communication. Ensure your team is clear about what they can and cannot do when handling customer issues. Proper training can enhance customer satisfaction and foster trust among your employees.

    Recognize consistent performance, not only extraordinary actions. While many appreciate acknowledgement for outstanding customer service, it’s crucial not to overlook those team members who consistently deliver excellent service. These are the employees you want to retain and incentivize.

    Empower your staff to make small decisions. Your sales team or customer service department typically interacts the most with clients and customers. Allow these employees to make minor concessions or resolve simple issues without needing to consult a manager.

    Discuss both positive and negative customer reviews and identify ways to improve in both areas. Owners and managers often focus on negative reviews, especially when they mention specific employees, shifts or departments. While addressing negative feedback is necessary, it’s equally important to recognize those who contributed to positive experiences and discuss how to implement these successful practices throughout your organization.

    Related: Trust Should Be the Foundation of Your Business — Here’s How to Earn It.

    Trust still — and always — matters

    The ability to underpromise and overdeliver is the cornerstone of many successful enterprises. The suggestions and recommendations I’ve outlined are more about common sense than complex strategies. However, every entrepreneur, including myself, needs constant reminders of their importance.

    Every time your organization delivers more than it promised, your trust factor increases significantly. Consistently overdelivering helps build a strong culture of trust, both internally and externally.

    The late Fred Smith, founder of FedEx, established a solid reputation by promising next-day and two-day package delivery. This positive reputation helped him secure a loyal customer base, even when his company’s rates were higher than those of competitors. More importantly, Mr. Smith built trust through consistent performance.

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    Ben Walker

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  • How This Entrepreneur Went From Small Business to $25 Million | Entrepreneur

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    It’s hard to imagine modern life without air conditioning, heating and plumbing. For Josh Campbell, founder of Rescue Air and Plumbing, these necessities have been the foundation of his success as an entrepreneur.

    “We may as well be doctors,” Campbell says. “Doesn’t matter what’s happening in this world — we can’t have our quality of life without [these services].”

    Rescue Air and Plumbing doesn’t just rely on necessity for growth, however. The $25 million business has achieved success due to the ingrained, small-town values Campbell grew up with.

    “We treat people like we did when we grew up in the country, and we do what we say we’re gonna do,” he says. “Because if you burned a bridge where I’m from, that burnt bridge is gonna follow you forever.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    This service mindset gives Rescue Air and Plumbing an edge in an industry where customers often feel like just another transaction.

    “[Businesses in Dallas] tend to move through people a little more. You burn a bridge here, you just move on to a new person,” Campbell says. “So I think having a country upbringing gives us a big competitive advantage in the city.”

    Campbell built his business around the idea that when people feel seen and cared for, not just sold to, they’ll keep coming back. “We do a killer job, and it’s just included in the service,” he says. “Once somebody uses us and they experience how well we do it and how differently we do it, they keep using us.”

    From the start, Campbell had a clear vision for growth. One of his most significant milestones came when he acquired a local plumbing business in 2022, expanding the company to more than 100 employees. “It’s very, very healthy in your company to demonstrate that you’re growing in interesting ways that people want to be a part of,” he says. “If you’re not growing, look for turnover in your company.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    The decision to expand beyond HVAC services wasn’t just about increasing revenue. Campbell sought opportunities that aligned with Rescue Air’s existing customer base, team culture and operational strengths.

    “If you buy a company, you’ve bought an entire system,” he says. “Don’t change anything. Don’t break the machine. It’s already enough discomfort and change [for the employees].”

    The acquisition taught him that timing, resources and a clear purpose are essential when planning an expansion. You must be ready for new responsibilities and understand the workings of the business you’re plugging into your own.

    Campbell’s advice is to take things slow. Acquired businesses come with their own set of procedures and people. He recommends waiting two to three months to make changes, so new employees feel valued instead of confronted by changes to their daily work life.

    “If you’re gonna change the pay plan, it better improve their quality of life,” he says. “Give them wins before you start doing any procedural stuff they might not see any gains out of.”

    That same philosophy shapes his leadership style. Campbell focuses on creating an environment where his team can succeed, because when they win, the company wins.

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Campbell also stresses the importance of structure, time management and personal discipline. “I think it really is important as entrepreneurs to be mindful about your time,” he said. “So often you’re pulled in a million directions, so having those habits or things you do that are for yourself and for your business on a recurring basis are really important.”

    This discipline extends to finances as well. Although financial oversight might not be every business owner’s favorite task, Campbell views it as essential to informed decision-making.

    “If you don’t know your P&L, there is a ceiling for how far you’re gonna be able to grow your business,” he says. “Truly, if you wanna operate your business successfully and even think about growing, you have to know your numbers.”

    Whether it’s integrating a new acquisition or serving a long-term client, Campbell’s approach centers on transparency and accountability. “Don’t leave anybody in the unknown,” he says. “Over-communicate, as uncomfortable as it might be.”

    It’s this commitment that drives Rescue Air and Plumbing’s reputation and growth and sets it apart in a competitive industry. For Campbell, the equation is simple: Treat people right, follow through, and build customer trust that lasts.

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After growing Rescue Air and Plumbing into a trusted name in the Dallas area, Campbell shares the guiding principles of the company’s success that can help other service businesses thrive:

    • Invest in people first. Whether it’s a customer or a team member, relationships matter. Be honest, keep your word and show people you value them beyond the transaction.
    • Lead with integrity. Always keep your promises to customers. Reliability and consistency are the foundation for long-term customer relationships.
    • Build a team you trust. Surround yourself with people who care about doing the job right. Set employees up for success by outlining clear expectations and processes.
    • Stay resilient through challenges. While navigating the ups and downs of running a business, staying true to your values can help you persevere.
    • Focus on lasting trust. Success in the service industry isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about earning a place in the customer’s life as a trusted partner.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Josh Campbell, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Why Focusing Only on Profit Is Holding Your Business Back | Entrepreneur

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    You need focus to build a business, but my experience has taught me that there’s also such a thing as being too single-minded.

    Financial, environmental and community goals aren’t competing objectives; they’re interconnected. This is why founders who chase revenue at the expense of value for their customers or broader social impact often experience limited growth.

    This is a bit like buying a gym membership and then letting your diet go because you’re working out. Just like healthy eating habits are part of an effective fitness plan, your mission and values are essential parts of creating a business plan that works.

    So when my brother Todd and I founded Roof Maxx as a cost-effective alternative to roof replacement, it was about more than filling a gap we saw in the market. It was about solving a problem we saw people struggling with and doing it in a way that also helped those people feel like they were changing the world for the better.

    Here’s what we learned.

    Related: 4 Ways to Engage Your Customers in Social Good — And Why It Matters

    Consumers already want to do the right thing; you just have to help them

    Call me naive, but I take a view of the world that most people are basically good — or at least, they want to be.

    They might not always put the right items in the recycling bin, but that’s not because they hate the planet. They’re usually just confused or short on time, because modern life can be hectic and overwhelming.

    That means appealing to guilt is rarely the most effective way to sell someone on a socially responsible product or service. Guilt can be a powerful emotional trigger, but it only works when someone doesn’t want to do something.

    Todd and I saw this a lot in the early days of Roof Maxx. We knew many homeowners already had some idea of how much waste roof replacement produces, so we didn’t harp on it. No one was throwing away their shingles every few years because they genuinely believed it was good for the planet. They were doing it because the rest of the industry had convinced them there was no viable alternative.

    When people already want to make a change but don’t feel like they have the option, guilt just makes them feel worse. In these cases, you need to show them the option exists, then use other strategies to win their business.

    Related: How to Market to the Increasingly Socially Conscious Customer

    Learn to position “doing good” as “getting more”

    Since most people already want to be better citizens, you don’t need to waste time trying to convince them it’s a good idea. Instead, you should spend most of your pitch showing how easy you can make it for them and how they can benefit from taking action.

    The first few times we pitched Roof Maxx to homeowners, I saw how true this was. They listened when we talked about how they could save 3.8 tons of landfill waste on average by rejuvenating their roofs with our treatment instead of replacing them, but that wasn’t really where we won them over. The vast majority came on board when we showed them our solution cost up to 80% less than a full replacement, and that it could be done in a few hours instead of taking days or weeks.

    Those experiences showed me that we didn’t have to make our customers more willing to do good in the world, because most of them already had that motivation. All we had to do was take away the obstacles they felt were standing in their way.

    Social proof is never about you; it’s about your customers

    One of the things that struck me most about the first homeowners to work with us was how proud they were. That pride didn’t just stem from the time and money they had saved. For a lot of them, it also came from feeling like they had made a difference by reducing their carbon footprint. They felt like they had joined a community that was working to improve the world around them.

    It would have been easy to edit the many testimonials we received and trim them down into concise endorsements of our company. Many brands do. But we didn’t, because we knew those testimonials weren’t just about us. They were about the kinds of people who chose us and the values that those people upheld.

    A customer who touts the quality of your product is a good advocate. But a customer who sees your product as a way to help them live a better life is a great one. The more you showcase those people, the better you look by association.

    Related: Here’s Why Values Matter So Much in Business

    People are more loyal to values than they are to brands

    One last piece of advice: Brand loyalty is a fickle thing, but values tend to exist on a deeper level. People change their cell phone plans far more often than they change their core convictions.

    That means a strong mission helps you build long-term loyalty. If you’re really committed to saving money for people, protecting the environment or community building, then you’ll always be appealing to people who value those goals. And if you can somehow find a way to do all three at once, that loyalty becomes much more difficult to lose to a competitor.

    So while it might be tempting to focus on raw profit when you’re starting out, don’t be fooled. Your mission isn’t there to distract from your margins; it’s there to set your brand apart and attract customers who already want to be on board. From there, it’s just a matter of showing them how easy it is to get involved.

    You need focus to build a business, but my experience has taught me that there’s also such a thing as being too single-minded.

    Financial, environmental and community goals aren’t competing objectives; they’re interconnected. This is why founders who chase revenue at the expense of value for their customers or broader social impact often experience limited growth.

    This is a bit like buying a gym membership and then letting your diet go because you’re working out. Just like healthy eating habits are part of an effective fitness plan, your mission and values are essential parts of creating a business plan that works.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Mike Feazel

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  • Your Ads Won’t Matter if Customers Hate the Experience | Entrepreneur

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    When business leaders consider brand building, they often think of traditional promotion, like print and digital advertising, or maybe a well-placed radio commercial to attract their target audience. They spend massive amounts of ad dollars to build brand awareness. But for most private businesses, brand building isn’t about throwing more money at advertising. It’s about creating an organization that engages, delivers on promise, and perhaps most of all, provides exceptional customer experience.

    According to a recent PwC Future of Customer Experience Survey, 65% of customers say a positive experience with a brand is more influential to them than great advertising. This is not to say there isn’t a place for advertising. But an engaging customer experience can be profoundly more impactful.

    Brands that crushed it with little advertising

    There are notably some massively successful brands that simply don’t advertise. In the B2B sector, have you ever seen an ad for McKinsey Consulting? Or consider Trader Joe’s, a grocery store chain with more than 600 locations and an incredibly loyal customer base. They don’t spend a dime on traditional advertising. Or think back to TGI Fridays in its heyday. Customers flocked to the casual dining hotspots, attracted by charming décor, a crowd-pleasing menu and its signature flair bartending that almost defined the era. While revenue was in the billions, TGI Friday’s focused on experience, not ad dollars, to create loyalty and buzz around the brand.

    Zappos is another excellent example of a brand that was built mostly on customer experience rather than big ad budgets. While the online shoe seller does advertise, the company is most recognized for delivering high-impact customer service.

    Former Zappos CEO, the late Tony Hsieh, was a trailblazer in the customer loyalty space and famously said, “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.” Under Hsieh, Zappos implemented legendary practices like its 365-day return policy, unscripted customer service reps with no call time limits and surprise free overnight shipping upgrades. Imagine expecting the delivery of your new boots in a week, only for them to be waiting on your doorstep the very next day.

    Hsieh also wisely once said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”

    Are you more likely to trust an ad in a magazine or the company that just delivered your package a week early?

    Related: How to Earn Customer Trust and Boost Sales Without Big Ad Budgets

    Misalignment can kill a brand

    What happens when a brand underwhelms, angers or alienates the very customers it intended to serve? Misalignment between brand messaging and customer experience turns once-loyal customers into disillusioned doubters who eventually turn to the competition to better suit their needs.

    Branding misalignment can take many forms. A hotel that advertises luxury accommodations has stained carpets and low water pressure in the shower. A software company that promises seamless integration has customers waiting hours for help desk support.

    A restaurant that advertises itself as a culinary delight serves up wilted salads by moody waiters. A supplier delivers low-grade stainless-steel parts that were promised to be titanium.

    When your marketing and advertising make promises that your operations are unable to satisfy, the business loses credibility, customers and ultimately money.

    The power of word-of-mouth marketing

    Most of us don’t make buying decisions in a vacuum. We search the internet, scour reviews and compare competing goods, services and suppliers. But the most significant green flags for purchasers are recommendations from people we know and respect. According to a 2012 Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report, 92% of consumers find more value in recommendations from people they know than any form of advertising. When a brand delivers an experience worth talking about, happy customers become their word-of-mouth marketing and are more persuasive than a two-dimensional ad could ever be.

    When was the last time you recommended a business or brand to a friend or colleague? While your endorsement may have been partly due to price, chances are there was something more to the experience that made the brand worth sharing. Your advocacy wasn’t due to a shiny ad, but rather how your customer experience made you feel respected, cared for and valued.

    Now those are impressions worth sharing.

    Related: Harness the Power of the 5 Senses to Make Your Brand Better

    Happy customers are your most powerful marketers

    By giving your customer a positively memorable experience, you transform that person into a brand ambassador willing to shout their support from the rooftops, and without ever dipping into your advertising budget. Word-of-mouth marketing scales organically when you consistently exceed customer expectations. So, give them something to talk about and see how that brand ambassadorship multiplies by dozens, hundreds or even thousands of raving fans eager to champion your business.

    Keep in mind that negative experiences are just as likely, if not more so, to spread like wildfire and scorch the brand you worked so hard to build. You have surely witnessed devastating brand damage from a single viral video posted to social media by an unhappy patron. Even more reason to ensure your customer experience goes above and beyond. Always.

    When business leaders consider brand building, they often think of traditional promotion, like print and digital advertising, or maybe a well-placed radio commercial to attract their target audience. They spend massive amounts of ad dollars to build brand awareness. But for most private businesses, brand building isn’t about throwing more money at advertising. It’s about creating an organization that engages, delivers on promise, and perhaps most of all, provides exceptional customer experience.

    According to a recent PwC Future of Customer Experience Survey, 65% of customers say a positive experience with a brand is more influential to them than great advertising. This is not to say there isn’t a place for advertising. But an engaging customer experience can be profoundly more impactful.

    Brands that crushed it with little advertising

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    Jason Zickerman

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  • Local fence company files for bankruptcy amid investigation into unfinished work

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    A local fence company is filing for bankruptcy after several complaints from customers.

    Action News Jax first reported last week that Patio Solutions LLC is being investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

    Customers said the company took their money and never did the work.

    Action News Jax learned this company owes at least a dozen local people money.

    Chandler Williams is one of those people. She said she paid the company a $2,000 deposit to have a fence installed.

    “I’m annoyed,” said Williams. “I’m upset.”

    Customers said they want their money back.

    “I am a disabled veteran and a single parent,” said Heather Sensiba. “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

    [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

    But John Breyault with the National Consumers League said consumers should not count on getting their money back anytime soon.

    “Even if you do file those complaints, you know sometimes these take a long time to get processed,” said Breyault.

    Especially given the company filed for bankruptcy.

    “I can imagine it will be difficult for the consumers to be paid damages if the contractor, in this case the patio company, doesn’t have any assets,” said Breyault.

    The federal court documents show all the people who are potentially impacted, including local customers who allegedly did not get their fences installed and paid money. The bankruptcy filing notes the total liabilities of $624,440.41.

    As several customers are still left waiting for answers, Breyault said this is what you should do before choosing a contractor.

    “Make sure and get three written and itemized estimates,” said Breyault. “Any remodel and repair, including having a fence get in, that way you can evaluate one company versus another.”

    You can also file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

    >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

    [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

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  • What a Stuffed Giraffe Can Teach You About Scaling Service | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    A stuffed giraffe named Joshie broke the internet — and taught a masterclass in client service.

    When a three-year-old boy left his beloved stuffed giraffe, Joshie, behind at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida, the hotel could’ve done what any service-oriented company might: return the toy.

    Instead, they gave Joshie a vacation of his own.

    The giraffe came back in a box, safe and sound — accompanied by a photo album. Joshie lounging by the pool. Joshie driving a golf cart on the beach. Joshie getting a massage. The gesture went viral — not because it was a marketing stunt, but because it was business as usual for a company where service isn’t a tactic. It’s the culture.

    And it works.

    Related: We Have an Empathy Crisis on Our Hands. Here’s How to Combat the Rising Trend of Poor Customer Service.

    Service isn’t a slogan. It’s a system.

    In a world where pricing can be matched and products copied, service is often the last true differentiator. But it’s also where most businesses fall short.

    Here’s what the data tells us:

    • Nearly one in three customers says they’d walk away from a brand they previously loved after just a single poor experience.
    • More than half of U.S. consumers believe that most companies still have work to do when it comes to delivering a satisfying customer experience.
    • More than $3.7 trillion is lost globally every year due to poor customer experiences.

    That’s a problem — especially for service-based businesses where loyalty is earned through trust, consistency and follow-through, not flashy perks.

    Related: Still Chasing Quick Wins? Here’s How That Mindset Is Stopping You From Scaling Your Business

    Want better client service? Start behind the curtain.

    Most service breakdowns don’t start with the client. They start behind the scenes. Businesses with high internal responsiveness — how quickly and clearly colleagues communicate — outperform their peers in both client satisfaction and profitability.

    Why? Because great internal service creates great external results.

    • Clear communication leads to confident delivery.
    • Fast handoffs mean fewer dropped balls.
    • When your team is aligned, your clients feel it.

    Here are five steps to build a culture of service.

    1. Build a shared service standard

    If you don’t define what “great service” looks like, every employee will make up their own version. That’s a consistency killer. Write it down. Make it specific. Train on it. Then keep it alive. Your service standard should include:

    • How customer communications are handled
    • Follow-up timelines
    • Attitude and tone guidelines
    • Response expectations, both internally and externally

    Most importantly, it shouldn’t be a one-and-done onboarding checklist. Bring it into team meetings, use it in performance reviews, and tie recognition to it.

    Key takeaway: Clarity breeds consistency. And consistency builds trust.

    2. Start your day like the Ritz

    Every Ritz-Carlton shift kicks off with a short, focused meeting on service. They call it “The Lineup.” It’s not a chore — it’s their cultural glue.

    You can do the same. Even a five-minute huddle once or twice a week can keep service values top-of-mind. Talk about:

    • A recent service win
    • A client challenge someone handled well
    • One simple improvement for the week

    These aren’t just check-ins. They’re momentum builders.

    Key takeaway: Small, regular rituals shape big, long-term behaviors.

    Related: The 4-Step Secret to Exceptional Customer Service

    3. Share your “Joshie moments”

    You don’t need a viral stuffed giraffe to build a service culture. But you do need stories.

    Create a shared space — a file, a Slack channel, even a corkboard — where team members can log standout service moments. Call it your “Joshie File.”

    Highlight:

    • Internal wins (teammates helping each other)
    • External wins (client shout-outs or surprise solutions)
    • Process fixes that improved service delivery

    Use these stories in onboarding. Feature them in meetings. Turn them into training moments. Celebrate them publicly. Because here’s the truth: Culture isn’t taught. It’s caught. And stories are the best carriers.

    Key takeaway: Recognition drives repetition.

    4. Make internal service count

    Want to truly embed service into your culture? Redefine how you measure performance. Too many organizations reward output but ignore how that output affects others.

    Start asking:

    • Did this person communicate proactively?
    • Were they a roadblock — or a bridge?
    • Did they contribute to a team win or just focus on their lane?

    When internal service is part of the scorecard, people stop operating in silos. They start thinking like owners.

    Key takeaway: Reward the lift, not just the stats.

    5. Empower your team to take ownership

    Want world-class service? Empower your people to make decisions without waiting for sign-off from four layers of management. Define the boundaries. Give your team tools, training and trust. Make it clear: If something needs fixing, they can fix it. That autonomy leads to:

    • Faster response times
    • Happier clients
    • Employees who act like entrepreneurs

    And that’s exactly what you want—people who take ownership because they can, not just because they have to.

    Key takeaway: When people feel trusted, they lean in.

    Culture over campaigns

    You don’t have to send stuffed animals on vacation. But you do need to make people feel seen, understood and supported — consistently.

    Clients don’t want perfection. They want to know that when something goes sideways, your team has it handled. That they matter. That someone’s paying attention.

    And that kind of trust isn’t built on policy. It’s built on culture. If you’re in the service business — and let’s be honest, every business is now — this is your competitive edge.

    Not once. Not sometimes. But every time.

    A stuffed giraffe named Joshie broke the internet — and taught a masterclass in client service.

    When a three-year-old boy left his beloved stuffed giraffe, Joshie, behind at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida, the hotel could’ve done what any service-oriented company might: return the toy.

    Instead, they gave Joshie a vacation of his own.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    James Goodnow

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  • How Miami’s Pest Brothers Got Its Start | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Jose Rodriguez wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and build a career in the pest control industry, so it was a dream come true when his brother, Michael, teamed up with him to start Pest Brothers. Their strong bond set the tone for a thriving business focused on building lasting relationships with customers.

    “I don’t think there are a lot of options where you get to work with your best friend and your biggest cheerleader,” Michael says. “For me, that was really the most important thing.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    It turns out, going into business with your best friend can be your key differentiator. The two exhibit excellent teamwork, which is reflected in their customer interactions and many five-star reviews — securing their spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Local Businesses of 2025.

    “[Customers] find us well-tempered, well-mannered,” Michael says. “And the reason for it is we’re enjoying what we do and who we do it with. I think that’s really the basis for it all. And then from there, good things come.”

    Joined by their brother-in-law, John, each member of the Pest Brothers brings something different to the table, including recruiting, marketing and industry experience.

    Old-school relationship-building was key to their early growth. The team sponsors golf tournaments for local schools and attends community events to not only create visibility for Pest Brothers but also to honor their roots.

    “We were sponsors at the golf tournament for [my son’s] high school, where we get a lot of leads,” Jose says. “We advertise wherever we can because those are the folks who have fed us when we weren’t necessarily getting to Yelp’s Top 100.”

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Still, the brothers knew there was more they could do to boost online visibility. They saw Yelp as an opportunity to attract more leads, and the investment paid off quickly. “We tried out the free trial [of Yelp Ads], and it was an absolute success — almost like we flipped a light switch, and [leads] tremendously started flowing in,” Michael says.

    They received such an influx of attention from homeowners that they decided to stop sending out snail mail advertisements, which can have a low success rate.

    “Whenever we receive a lead on Yelp, it’s about speed to lead,” Michael says. “The more quickly we can reach out, the more quickly we can get to that house, service it and win that lead.”

    Its Yelp presence does more than lead generation, however. It also builds trust and helps turn potential customers into loyal, long-term regulars. Especially in the pest control and home service industry, a new customer doesn’t always mean one job. Every new lead is a chance to create a recurring customer — and the opportunities are rolling in for Pest Brothers.

    “These are folks that if you do a good job, they’re gonna reward you for a long period of time,” Michael says. “In terms of the Yelp leads I saw on our dashboard, views on our page have increased by 576% over the past 30 days [since winning Yelp’s Top 100]. You talk about market awareness — that’s tremendous. That’s viral if I’ve ever seen it, so it’s been awesome for us.”

    Once you have your audience’s attention, Jose emphasized how important it is to set clear expectations, such as how long a treatment will take or when the customer will see results. It’s this type of transparency that builds credibility, prevents confusion and earns five-star reviews.

    When mistakes inevitably happen, the brothers acknowledge them with grace, reaching out personally to customers to make things right. “If somebody calls you, you can definitely rectify their issue as soon as you can,” Jose says. “That’s literally the whole point of being a small business, [being] able to do that.”

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After building Pest Brothers from a two-man operation into one of the most trusted pest control companies in the Miami area, co-founders Michael and Jose share what’s helped them succeed in the competitive home service industry:

    • Lead with trust. Customers extend trust when they let you into their homes and workplaces. Be reliable, show up when you say you will and treat every space with respect.
    • Invest in relationships. Repeat customers and referrals are the lifeblood of a service business. Learn people’s names, remember their concerns and treat every job as an opportunity to strengthen the connection.
    • Use tools to work smarter. From routing software to online reviews, technology can save time, improve efficiency and help you better serve customers. Leverage different platforms and tools to stay organized, respond faster and build your reputation.
    • Stay adaptable. Every job is different. Be ready to adjust your approach and keep learning new methods to stay competitive and efficient.
    • Build a reputation that lasts. Home services are about more than solving a specific problem. They’re about creating peace of mind. When people know you genuinely care about their home or business, they’ll trust you for years to come.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Michael and Jose Rodriguez, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Chicago’s Iconic Big Baby Burger Goes Vegan on the South Side

    Chicago’s Iconic Big Baby Burger Goes Vegan on the South Side

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    Nicky’s of Beverly is not a vegan restaurant. Since 1997 and across two different locations (three years ago they moved to 105th Street and Western), chef-owner Paul Kostopanagiotou has built a formidable following of carnivorous and plant-based eaters alike. A fast-casual neighborhood spot featuring “elevated street food, the restaurant’s massive menu features everything from salads, smoked brisket, filet mignon sliders, Nashville hot chicken, and even a lobster roll.

    There’s also Nicky’s version of the Big Baby, an underrated Chicago classic that originated in the South Side, featuring twin beef patties with cheese and topped with grilled onions. Ketchup, mustard, and pickles slide under the patties.

    The veganized Big Baby.

    A blue restaurant space.

    Nicky’s has a quite a comfortable space and occassionally hosts live music.

    Nicky’s moved here in 2021.

    Kostopanagiotou sees an opportunity to introduce non-meat eaters to the specialty. On Friday, November 1, Nicky’s will enthusiastically participate in World Vegan Day with a vegan version of the Big Baby featuring Beyond Meat patties and Daiya dairy-free cheddar taking center stage.

    “We’ve been growing the vegan category at the restaurant for years. I just think vegans are a great customer base, and there was a void in the area for that,” Kostopanagiotou says.

    While he’s not a vegan himself (though he and his team do enjoy plant-based dishes), he’s made a point of connecting with plant-based eaters in the community, like the Chicago Southside & South Suburban Vegans. “I know some of the founding members and admins. We lean on them a lot as a partnership, as they have suggestions and recommendations and vegan meetups,” Kostopanagiotou explains.

    Through those contacts, he’s discovered a variety of plant-based producers, like Good2Go Veggie and Chunk Foods, as well as institutions that help animals. That’s where he learned about the Tiny Hooves Sanctuary, a woman-led nonprofit animal sanctuary located across state lines in Union Grove, Wisconsin. The institution focuses on providing a safe haven — a “forever sanctuary,” as their website calls it — to “abandoned, abused, neglected, and unwanted farm animals while inspiring positive change through the human and animal bond.” Kostopanagiotou said he listened to his local vegan friends when they told him, ‘’This is a solid group — you should look into donating to them.’” On Friday, Nicky’s of Beverly will donate a portion of proceeds from all vegan menu items to the Tiny Hooves Sanctuary.

    A bowl of sweet potato fries and a burger.

    The Big Baby is a Chicago classic.

    Italian beef, gyros, and salads are also on the menu.

    The heat lamps can squeeze a little more out of patio season.

    A lot of restaurants will simply throw on a veggie burger, fried cauliflower, or maybe a half-hearted pizza to appease vegan diners who happen to wind up there, but investing in the plant-based portion of his menu is something to which Kostopanagiotou is seriously committed. Nicky’s of Beverly offers close to two dozen vegan items, such as a vegan shrimp po boy, vegan nachos, vegan Buffalo chicken salad, a vegan banh mi, and much more. There’s coconut milk-based peanut butter gelato and even a vegan shake.

    Kostopanagiotou points out that he develops the vegan part of the menu side-by-side with everything else to make sure there’s plenty to enjoy for everyone. “It just continuously expands, and is creative,” he says. “I’m very mindful as I expand the normal menu that I can do that for the vegan menu also.”

    There’s plenty to experience at Nicky’s of Beverly, whether customers like vegan food or not. They also have a weekday happy hour, live music, and a gelato bar.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • How to Transform Your Real Estate Business With a Customer-Centric Approach | Entrepreneur

    How to Transform Your Real Estate Business With a Customer-Centric Approach | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Success in real estate, and many other industries, is often determined by one key factor: customer service. While AI, technology and data analytics have become increasingly important, the human component remains the driving force behind long-term business success. Adopting a customer-centric approach is essential for cultivating lasting client relationships, while staying competitive.

    The power of exceptional customer service

    At the core of any successful real estate business is a commitment to exceptional customer service. Beyond just answering calls promptly or organizing smooth viewings, it’s about truly understanding clients’ deeper motivations and needs. Great agents don’t just complete transactions; they build trust. In an industry where emotions and finances are often deeply intertwined, clients want to feel understood, respected and prioritized.

    Exceptional customer service means consistently anticipating clients’ needs and acting in their best interests. When clients feel cared for and valued, they’re more likely to return for future transactions. They also become advocates who recommend your services to others. This is particularly important in an era when word-of-mouth referrals and personal recommendations carry significant weight. Studies have shown that personal referrals can be a key driver of business growth in real estate and other service industries.

    Related: Customer Centricity: What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve Yours

    Building long-term relationships, not just transactions

    One of the biggest mistakes real estate professionals can make is to treat each transaction as an isolated event. While closing deals quickly may seem efficient, it can lead to missed opportunities for growth and relationship-building. A customer-centric mindset means seeing each client interaction as an opportunity to establish long-term trust and rapport.

    This mindset shift transforms the relationship from a one-time transaction into a lasting partnership. For example, clients who are treated with care and attention are more likely to seek your services again when they’re ready for their next property investment. Furthermore, understanding a client’s long-term goals helps agents provide better, more tailored advice, leading to greater client satisfaction and loyalty.

    In real estate, like in any customer-focused business, building relationships means going the extra mile — whether it’s providing market insights long after a transaction has closed or offering ongoing support with property management. Clients who feel supported beyond the sale will return and refer new clients, expanding your network and creating new opportunities for success.

    Attention to detail makes all the difference

    The importance of attention to detail cannot be overstated. In real estate, small details, like remembering a client’s specific design preferences or scheduling viewings at times that suit their needs, can make all the difference. Successful agents know that every client interaction is an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to delivering value and ensuring a seamless experience.

    In many cases, it’s the attention to detail that transforms a stressful process, like buying a home, into a positive and rewarding experience. This level of care helps differentiate customer-focused agents from their competitors and creates an emotional connection with clients, further deepening the relationship.

    The business case for a service-oriented mindset

    A customer-centric approach is a proven strategy for business growth. Research by PwC shows that 73% of consumers say customer experience is a critical factor in their purchasing decisions. This is especially true in the real estate industry, where both financial and emotional investments are significant. By prioritizing client experience, businesses differentiate themselves in the marketplace and position themselves for long-term success.

    Putting people first leads to better outcomes for everyone. By delivering exceptional service, businesses can cultivate relationships that yield repeat business, generate valuable referrals and enhance their reputation. A strong focus on customer service ultimately leads to higher client satisfaction, which directly impacts revenue growth and brand loyalty.

    Related: Good Customer Service is a Disappearing Art — Here’s How You Can Be Different

    Automation and data are becoming increasingly prevalent, yet human connection remains irreplaceable. The real estate industry, in particular, is built on relationships and trust. By focusing on exceptional customer service and prioritizing the needs of clients, professionals can build lasting partnerships that go beyond the scope of a single transaction.

    Adopting a customer-centric approach in real estate, and in any industry, means recognizing that success isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about the people behind the transactions. When clients feel cared for and valued, they will return, refer others and contribute to the long-term growth and sustainability of your business.

    By emphasizing a client-first approach, real estate and other industry professionals can create thriving businesses that deliver value and build lasting relationships, all while standing out in a competitive and tech-driven market.

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    Ugo Arinzeh

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