There’s a lot of garbage being sold to small business owners right now.
Some tech guy with a podcast tells you that SMS is the future.
Another one says you have to add live chat.
Then there’s the “all-in-one” platform that promises to do it all… until it doesn’t.
The result?
You end up juggling seven tools, paying for five, using maybe two—and none of them are actually helping you sell more.
Why?
Because you’ve confused “more tools” with “more customers.”
And they are not the same thing.
You Run a Real Business—Not a Tech Startup
You’re not running an app company. You’re running a store. A bar. A real business where humans walk in, hand you money, and expect a solid experience.
You don’t need more “channels.”
You need more reasons for people to come back.
And no amount of SMS campaigns, push notifications, AI chatbots, or carrier pigeon marketing will save you if the basics aren’t nailed down.
The owners who are winning right now?
They’re the ones who:
- Know their best-selling item.
- Know their top 20 customers by name.
- Know what people complain about before it ends up in a 1-star Yelp review.
- And yeah—actually respond to emails with some damn personality.
The Tools Aren’t Built for You
Most of that tech isn’t built for you.
It’s built for online-only businesses selling drop-shipped garlic presses and crypto bro hoodies.
Not for the tattoo shop owner who knows every regular by name.
Not for the bartender who opens the place, stocks the cooler, and closes six days a week.
Not for the local café that runs on hustle, regulars, and handwritten notes on the espresso machine.
You don’t need a chatbot.
You need a customer list.
You don’t need WhatsApp for Business.
You need to train your damn staff to greet people like they matter.
What Actually Works
Let’s rip out the noise and get tactical.
Pick one communication channel and dominate it.
Preferably email. Why? Because you own it, it’s low-cost, and if done right, it actually drives sales.
Train staff to collect customer info.
First name, email. Every transaction. Incentivize it. Make it a game. Call it “building the money list.”
Use automation sparingly and intentionally.
Set up a bounce-back campaign. Someone visits? They get a coupon two days later. Easy win.
Only add a tool if it solves a real problem.
Not because a YouTube bro said it would “10x your funnel.”
Stay human.
Your business isn’t a SaaS company. You don’t need a tech stack. You need relationships.
Real Talk
You’re not lazy. You’re just being told to focus on the wrong crap.
You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to matter somewhere.
Action Steps
- Audit every tool you’re using. Kill what you don’t need.
- Commit to email first. Set up a basic bounce-back or birthday campaign.
- Train staff to collect emails and reward them when they hit goals.
- Write one killer email per week that actually sounds like you.