Running a business in a smaller community is different. Your coaching should be too.
If you're an established business owner in a smaller or regional community, you know that your business doesn't operate in isolation. Your customers may also be your neighbours. Your reputation can travel quickly. Other local businesses may be competitors one day and referral partners the next.
I've lived this reality — not as a business theory, but as a business owner. I'm Susan Poole — Business Coach, Pattern Recognizer and Practical Thinker.
I've Been the Owner
Before becoming a business coach, I built and operated my own business in a smaller, seasonal community. For 12 years, I owned and operated a successful bed and breakfast in Parry Sound.
But my most valuable lessons didn't come from everything going right. They came from the times when I was working harder and wondering why it wasn't making things better.
By the end of my third year, I was exhausted. I had become so focused on generating enough year-round revenue that I was taking on work and customers that weren't necessarily right for the business — or for me. Eventually, my health forced me to stop and take a hard look at what I was doing. More revenue wasn't the only answer.
I Had to Change How I Ran the Business
So I treated myself the way I would have treated an overwhelmed employee. I stepped back and asked: What does the business absolutely need me to do? What can someone else do? What am I doing that I don't enjoy? Which customers are actually the right fit? And most importantly: What did I originally want this business to give me?
I hired help. I became more selective about the customers I served. I learned to say no.
The business became more profitable — and I became a happier business owner. Better reviews. An award-winning business. More demand. Higher prices. And a business that was a much better fit for the life I wanted.
That Changed How I Think About Success
Success isn't necessarily about having the biggest business, the most employees or the highest revenue. It's about creating a business that gives you what you wanted when you decided to become a business owner.
What did you originally want this business to give you?
Why My Experience in a Smaller Community Matters
I don't have to imagine what it is like to build a business where relationships matter. I've lived it.
I learned that reputation takes time to build — and can be damaged very quickly. I learned that local relationships can become important sources of referrals. I learned that competitors can also be collaborators. I learned that a decision that makes financial sense in the short term isn't always the best decision for the long term.
But Business Experience Isn't the Whole Story
I also bring a background in coaching, leadership, marketing, operations, systems and business development.
After establishing my own business, I spent approximately 10 years helping people who were considering opening their own hospitality businesses. About 100 people took the course I developed.
What mattered was never simply whether someone opened a business. What mattered was helping them understand what they wanted, what the business would require and whether the two could work together. That's still at the heart of how I coach today.
I don't bring you a generic formula for running a business. I bring experience in building a business, experience in coaching people through business decisions, and a practical process for understanding where you are, where you want to go, what's getting in the way, what's actually working, and what needs to happen next.
Because you don't need a business that looks successful to everyone else. You need a business that works for you.