Circle Check City Challenge

While we were in Toronto, Lindsey and I were in a small, independent bead shop on Queen St (called Arton Beads). (Lindsey for far more time than I!), and in my quick Circle Check of their space, I was impressed by the ways in which they made their relatively tiny space "exceptional" in a lot of ways.

Prices were very clearly marked on all items, specials and discounts were clearly communicated on signs throughout the store, and there were reminders to use your PST exemption and store rewards card for savings. For a non-beader like myself, the store appeared well organized so that items would be easy to find, even if it was a bit "institutional" or "functional" in its feel (in contrast to the more "inspiring" or "creative" decor of a competitor across the street - signs of the different markets they each pursue). The cash register in the back corner even had a sign over it that literally said "Yes, you can pay here."

That got me thinking about if this seemingly high quality of communication and "easiness" of doing business that their space offered to customers was the norm for small businesses in the hyper-competitive markets of a big city like Toronto as a "baseline" for the city, or was this business an exceptional anomaly? And, how would small businesses in other, perhaps less intensive competitive environments in smaller centres compare?

So, as a result, the Circle Check City Challenge has been born!

As we begin to travel to other cities more and more for our training sessions and in support of our book launch over the remainder of this year, we will be doing or own Circle Checks of random small businesses in different places, and posting our findings here. We are anxious to learn about how small businesses in different competitive environments are performing in designing and maintaining their physical space, and leveraging it for the maximum benefit in their businesses.

Stay tuned for the results!