“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” -Henry Ford
Building and maintaining a reputation as a business location isn’t easy. There are so many things out of your control, and as they say, one mistake can erase years o good work. It is still something to constantly discuss and strategically plan for.
First, having a great reputation as a business location does not mean that things never go wrong. Businesses in your community will struggle, have ups and downs, and even fail. How your community helps to make businesses more competitive, more resilient, and help them when times are tough are just a few of the things your reputation can be built on.
Second, what you want your reputation to be should be discussed, debated, and measured. Be intentional about how you want your existing businesses and those that locate new facilities in your community to be known. This is more important than any ranking your state or community could receive.
Finally, you are never done building and recasting your reputation. How you show up to serve businesses to respond to their issues, and deliver what has been promised should be a daily obsession.
Let’s have a great week!
-Kenny McDonald