I posted a while back about an amazing article that I love by Lori Taylor - http://www.fuzbaby.com/articles/businessarticle_smallering.htm.
I was at the kids' dentist office today, feeling the stress I always do there. One of my girls has a problem with the enamel on her baby teeth. Well, the problem is that she doesn't have any. So she has had to endure way more dental work than any 8 year old should have. This, and the fact that I have 2 more children, means that at almost every bi-yearly checkup, a cavity is discovered in someone's mouth. When I go to schedule the filling appointment, the nasty receptionist always makes me feel like an inconvenience to her and her time, and there is NEVER anything less than a month away. This morning took the cake... no free appointments for THREE MONTHS,
So what does that have to do with Ms. Taylor's "smallering" article?
How have we allowed this sort of business to thrive and grow? No personal attention, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels offices like this care more about my money than my child. Obviously, this office has taken on more patients than is reasonable. At least, reasonable to me. I understand that malpractice insurance is killing doctors, but the cause of that would warrant a whole 'nother rant from me about our "sue crazy" society.
So the point of this post? Search out local, small businesses to support. Even doctors and dentists. I know they are still out there- the small local office with 2 or 3 docs. The place that remembers your name.
This is what I've been doing as part of my quest to live more consciously. I used to go to a big, big doctor practice. I delivered 3 babies with this practice, but after 6 years and 3 deliveries, no one in the office knew my name. There were 7+ midwives and 4+ doctors. They were all very nice, and individually, I liked them, but they didn't *know* me. So I set out for a change. I found a local doctor. One doctor in one office. She calls me personally to give me test results (the old office used to make me come in for an appointment just to tell me everything was fine! And charge my insurance $70). After that, I set out for a more personal dentist and found one in my old hometown. Next, I will start searching for the same for my children's dentist.
Go local. Go small.
I just don't believe that a company HAS TO grow. What's wrong with staying the same? What's wrong with getting enough clientele to pay all your bills and then some and STOP? I know that's totally against "the american way", but that's how I feel.