IAM2693 – The Importance of Building Connection from Day One

The Human Side of Growth

Gresham Harkless emphasizes that building a successful business doesn't require a massive marketing budget, but rather systems that ensure people feel seen, heard, and appreciated. He observes that founders often become so preoccupied with the mechanics of business that they forget the “human part” of the experience. By shifting the focus from mere sales to building genuine connection, entrepreneurs can turn their initial customers into powerful advocates who eventually help grow the business for them.

Documenting the Franchise Journey

This special episode serves as a “snippet of a snippet,” documenting Gresh’s personal journey in launching Blue Star Franchise. Following advice from the founder of the Franchise Brokers Association, Gresh is recording the process of building this new venture to provide “color” and insight for others. Whether listeners are interested specifically in franchises or are starting any type of business, he shares these behind-the-scenes moments to illustrate the reality of the builder's journey.

The Day One Connection Hack

Gresh introduces a vital “CEO Hack”: building human connection into the customer experience from the very first dollar. He argues that how a founder treats their first ten customers dictates how they will treat their next hundred, making intentionality crucial from day one. By using simple automation that feels personal, listening to feedback as data for improvement, and creating moments of surprise like handwritten notes, founders can turn standard buyers into “believers” and raving fans.

Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2692-creating-a-system-turning-ideas-into-replicable-processes/

• Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
• Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
• Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
• Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

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Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
You don't need a huge marketing budget to build loyalty. You just need systems that make people feel seen, heard and appreciated. So often we forget about the human part of business and frankly, the human part of life. And because when you turn your first customers into fans, you're not just making sales, you're building advocates who will grow the business for you. It's a CEO hack that turns ideas into income and income into impact, which is ultimately why we're all in this quote unquote game and playing it foreign.

Hello, Hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast. And this is a special episode, episode number 2287 of our I Am CEO podcast. And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise. We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that. But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of fba, the Franchise Brokers association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out. I think it's something that'll be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube. Check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where her Glennard post is. So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of day.

Gresham Harkless 02:03
Think about it. Getting your first dollar in entrepreneurship is one of the most exciting times, and that's what most founders obsess over. They obsess over getting these first customers, but few actually thinks about what happens after they actually buy. Now here's the cold hard truth. How you treat your first 10 customers determines how you will treat your next 100. I often say the way that you do one thing is the way that you do everything. The CEO Hack Build connection into your customer experience from day one. Start with automation that actually feels human. Use simple tools to follow up, think them personally, and check in on how things are going. It doesn't have to be fancy. It doesn't have to be the latest gadget or the tool or the latest software that you're using. It just has to be very intentional and be very humanistic. Next, I want you to listen and respond. Every message, comment or review is data for you to be able to iterate and improve. Turn that feedback into small improvements that you can make on your product or service to make it even more personal and even stronger of a connection. And last but not least, create moments of surprise. Maybe it's a handwritten note, a bonus resource, or quick video. Shout out these little touches. Turn buyers into believers and raven fans. You don't need a huge marketing budget to build loyalty. You just need systems that make people feel seen, heard and appreciated. So often we forget about the human part of business and frankly, the human part of life. And because when you turn your first customers into fans, you're not just making sales, you're building advocates who will grow the business for you. It's a CEO hack that turns ideas into income and income inset impact. Which is ultimately why we're all in this quote unquote game and playing it.