Excuse me, do you have the time?

After a couple of decades of working for and with family owned small businesses, there's one thing that I know, for sure: 

Small business owners are way too busy!  

They are trying to simultaneously juggle numerous tasks and wear too many hats.  Where in such a hectic life and overwhelming schedule can the owners of a small family owned business find the time and opportunity to figure out the world of social media, let alone apply this tremendous opportunity to their business?  The small business owners that I talk with all the time want the benefit and results that the new media can deliver, but they simply don't have enough hours in the day to engage these tools for their own benefit.

Where does an Old Dog find the time to learn New Tricks?

This is a recent version of an old challenge that was clearly explained in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (1989).  (Aside from the Holy Bible, this book has probably had a greater effect on my life than any other - I highly recommend it to any Old Dog looking to improve).  Covey described this challenge as "the tyranny of the urgent".  We are so busy dealing with the urgent that we rarely have an opportunity to do that which is important.  We spend our lives and our work days doing what is unimportant in value, or short-lived, because the current situation is urgent or immediately demanding.  Sadly, if we continue in this manner indefinitely, we never address that which is important, and we suffer the consequence. 

Other challenges that I hear from business owners who have not engaged social media for their benefit include:

It's all still really new, let someone else figure it out and we'll copy them.

It's just a trend, it'll pass and the next "new thing" will come along.

I don't have the time and money to invest, and neither do my employees.

How can you measure bottom line success of  such a long term effort?

We already tried it and it didn't work, we're sticking to what's always worked for us.

The other members of the family business just aren't interested and I can't do it all myself.

I genuinely empathize.  Family owned small businesses are one of the things that make America great.  I admire those who work hard, endlessly, and create a better life for their families and employees.  Although the big corporations tend to make the national news, small businesses employ more Americans than the big corporations.  It's difficult and plain old hard work to own and run a small business.

As the once-new personal computer of the past continues to help small businesses to succeed and be more profitable, social media is already making small businesses more successful and profitable, and will continue to do so in the future.

Don't be an Old Dog left behind, fast asleep on the porch.  Or so busy chasing your tail that you miss something really important.

Thank you for sharing 127 seconds of your day,
Smitty