Why Chic-fil-A is a great role-model for a small business
I was planning recently to write about Chic-fil-A, but a friend beat me to it. Marcus Sheridan did an excellent job explaining some of the key factors in the tremendous success of this unique company. Instead of repeating everything Marcus said, I recommend you take a few moments to read 8 Reasons Why Chic-fil-A Has the Best Business Model in America. In addition to Marcus´ comments, I want to give two more reasons I think Chic-fil-A is a good role-model for a small business:
Chic-fil-A has a great model of service—not “can I take your order” service, but really “how can I serve you” service! The CEO, Truett Cathy, is an amazing example of servant leadership from the top down. He is constantly giving back to his community, his church, and his employees. This kind of community involvement is evident at all levels of the chain. Even in the small details, the company exudes genuine service. When you thank a Chic-fil-A employee for their service, their response isn´t, “uh-huh. Next customer in line please!” or even “you´re welcome.” The service training at Chic-fil-A teaches employees to respond with a smile and a genuine, “my pleasure!” I really get the feeling that they enjoy serving their customers—probably because those employees feel served by their management. What if all small businesses could really give their customers that feeling: “We love working for you… it´s a privilege!” A successful company is only as good as their employees, and Chic-fil-A invests wholeheartedly in the success of their people.
Another standout quality of Chic-fil-A is their absolute commitment to their core principles. The most prominent example is their chain-wide “Closed On Sunday” policy. The owners are Christians and believe that the Bible teaches Sunday as a day of rest and worship, and they have determined to live by this. They work hard providing an excellent product six days a week, and on Sundays, their employees (religious or not) can take time for family or whatever is most important in their lives. You would think that with time, seeing how many Americans eat out on Sundays (especially after church), the chain would be tempted to cave in on this. They have remained faithful to their principles, however, and this has not hurt their profits or their reputation. First Samuel 2:30b reads, “…But now the LORD declares: ´Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.´” As a small business owner, I can learn from the success of this company and follow their example of remaining true to what I believe. I share the same beliefs as the owners of Chic-fil-A, and I am reminded to honor God in my business and not compromise, even if it looks like I am losing potential profit. I believe that any small business owner that firmly stands on convictions and refuses to compromise will be successful, especially if he or she is trusting in God.
Something we can indeed all learn from! You absolutely hit the nail on the head in your closing statements David! My respect for Chic-fil-A has been well over 20+ years when I discovered them in Atlanta, GA. I had the privilege of working with them in my other company and they lived the principles they are committed to – it was a beautiful, humbling experience indeed. Thank you for this heartwarming post! Much kindness, Elena Patrice
Some great additions you’ve made here to my article David. Gotta love it when a business owner has a core belief system and lives it to the fullest. Thanks for the mention and keep up the great work.
Elena:
Thank you for your comments. I’d love to hear more about your experience with Chic-fil-A. I hear they are more well known in Atlanta. I am originally from San Diego, I did not get to experience them really until I moved to Maryland in 2008. But for over 10 years, I always heard about some chicken restaurant that was incredible on and off the clock. I’ve experienced that a bit. So please do share more, and again, thanks for stopping by.
Marcus, thanks for the comments. I was recently up in Buffalo talking to a group of painters about blogging and social media. Two of the painters were using Hubspot. One was someone I knew named Mark Clayton. He said I needed to check out a blog called “The Sales Lion” and talk to you! I mentioned that we’d already connected. You get around. He was up at Boston for the Hubspot conference. Wish I could have made it. I was actually in Boston I think at the same time for another painting conference…but did get to see your Hubspot TV. Great job.
Ok. Lets grab lunch soon. Shoot me an email, facebook me, tweet, whatever but lets connect. @Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that this is a great article! Just a small bit of criticism: You spelled Chick-fil-a wrong. It might give you a little more credibility if you can get the name of the restaurant right.
Thanks for sharing this great article!
Winona Teddington