The power of one customer

The power of one customer cannot be underestimated. When I ask my clients and entrepreneurs what is the most important thing out of these 4 items:

  • money
  • time
  • a customer
  • an idea

I inevitably wait for the right answer, but it often doesn't come. A customer is the most important thing to a business.  Much more important than money (I don't have any to invest.), time (I don't have the time.) or an idea (I can't think of someone anyone needs.) Even a cardboard video game arcade, when it gets a customer (finally) can change a 9 year old's world for the better. You won't believe how the power of perseverance can pay off.

Note the interesting back story too: his dad doesn't sell much through the store and does most of his work on eBay. What happens if he has to close the store eventually? Well dad's now got a reason to keep it open, and Caine may have found his true calling at 9. It may not be cardboard video games, but who knows where his sense of purpose will take him at 19 or 29 or 39?

About the author

Alex is a pioneer in using the cloud to meet the needs of small and medium sized business (SMBs) and membership-based organizations. He has a BSc in computer science from the University of Michigan and has worked as a product manager at two Internet startups. Alex is a father of 2 and plays the trumpet for fun. He is the founder and the president of the University of Michigan Alumni Club of Toronto.