When I was at university, there was a bakery that opened early in the morning that sold amazing fresh sourdough.
While we were on an extremely tight budget back then, we would sometimes show up to get one of these fresh baked loafs after surfing on a cold winter’s morning.
A bakery sells bread for sure, and it also brings people together. We would warm up after being in the water for hours and have sourdough toast and tell tales about the waves.
The older guy who ran the bakery was always happy when we would show up. He loved what he did, and he took pride in his bread.
Each day when he left after the early morning shift he would take some bread home, and it would bring his family together.
It was clear that not only was this guy the creator, but he was also was his own best “user.”
He enjoyed his own bread each day, it brought him together and helped support his own life values.
He was happy, and, we could tell. It showed through his work.
A lot of times I meet business owners who sell a product or service. Some of the work we do is around culture, the story that they tell, and how they can help word spread.
If you’re the owner of a business and also your own best user and most devout fan, you’re telling one kind of story.
If you’re the owner of a business and you’re not your own best user and devout fan, you’re telling another kind of story.
If we’re not our own best user, the question then becomes, why not?
And, what might change if we were?
