Before I get into this blog, I would like to take this moment and thank all who support us and wish us well on this journey. We are doing it for the culture! Keep us on our toes and hold us accountable for our words and actions.
The other day I was talking to a buddy of mine and BCC came up. He checks in on us regularly and gives great ideas, tips, and the like. His lovely queen also shows love and keeps us in mind. I really appreciate what he does for me as a friend, but more so for Black Coffee Company as a whole. We discuss posts and dialogue on current events. We highlight what others are doing and how their efforts can be tailored to our skillset, to help propel each of us out of our 9-5s. I couldn’t have better support from him and I make sure I let him know that. One day I mentioned a purchase made by a mutual friend. What happened next had me floored!
How much does support cost?
I’m sorry y’all, this was a loaded question. To allocate a proper cost to the act of supporting, one must define what it means to support. Then, the definition becomes tricky if you aren’t careful and you conflate cost and value. So, where does that leave the original question? I am not here to ask anything more of you than a few moments reflecting on your own definition of support. What avenues have you taken? What has it cost? What was the value of your support (to XYZ)? What value did you receive in return (from supporting XYZ)?
As I was saying, I mentioned the purchase made by a mutual friend, and my buddy began talking about not being able to support with a purchase. I was shocked, but not because he had no intention on purchasing. You see, what he does very frequently is support us. He may not reconcile our personal interactions with supporting me/us as a small business, but he is a true and treasured supporter.
Support manifests itself in many different ways. Some examples are found below:
A repost
A purchase
A referral
A shout-out
A partnership
A Like, Follow, or Tag
Feedback
Dialogue
Idea
Etc.
So, when you really think about support and you reflect on those questions from above, we hope that you are inspired to do more for those that are laying the groundwork. I personally hope that you seek some value from those you support. Support can be freely given, no doubt about that, but at BCC, and likely, many other businesses, we are all about providing value to our supporters. Be encouraged and be proud! We can, and we will, do it together!