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Doing fine or doing remarkable?

By Jim Connolly | November 13, 2012

If my local Costa Coffee shop closed, it wouldn’t really matter to me. For those of you who don’t already know, they are a national coffee shop chain in the UK, similar to Starbucks.

My local Costa Coffee is typical of what I call a fine business.

  • The service is fine, but not exceptional.
  • The coffee is fine, but similar to other coffee served locally.
  • The atmosphere is fine, but unremarkable.
  • They offer a fine experience, worth what they charge for it.

Going beyond fine

Then there is a small, independent coffee shop that I use, when they have a table available. If they closed or moved out of the area I’d really miss them. I’d miss them, because they go beyond fine.

They focus on being remarkable.

  • The service is excellent.
  • The coffee is the best I have ever had and they sell a great range of premium quality teas.
  • The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

A remarkable experience

I happily pay more for my coffee in the independent coffee shop. These guys have a fraction of the resources available to Costa Coffee, but they use everything they have to create an experience that is remarkable.

I would have certainly used Costa Coffee regularly, (they are absolutely fine after all), had the remarkable coffee shop not been here. And that’s my point!

The smallest of businesses can thrive in today’s economy. So long as you are prepared to be remarkable, you can win a highly profitable share of the market, even against large, competent rivals.

Let’s work together and grow your business. To find out more click here!

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Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

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