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 About a week or so ago I had another small business owner message me. Her business is similar to mine but different at the same time.

From the day my partner and I started this business we supported everyone who gives it a shot because we know how hard it is to do be a small business owner.

We are headed into year 8 of our business and we are doing okay, the pandemic has hit us hard not so much on orders and whatnot, but because we can't physically work at the same location or do our vendor shows.

We do not consider any business similar to ours or otherwise competition. We also really don't pay attention to who is doing what in our area what that means is that Cindy Lou could be doing shirts and we wouldn't have a clue. There are a few businesses that we know like Once Upon A Tutu, not because we consider them competition but because they do great work and we have chatted with her a few times. Do I know her name? NOPE.

Now back on topic. This woman messaged me starting out asking questions about if a store our products are in was closing. I explained that no one said anything to me and I just dropped off some products. This turned into them speaking unkindly of the store. I do not speak unkindly about any business because I know how it feels being a small business owner, not even when a client comes and complains about another business messing something up. I always reply with "I am sorry such and such happened to you, let's see how we can make it better".

A company putting down or bad-mouthing another company is not only in bad taste but also highly unprofessional.

Once we got through her "thoughts and feelings" about one of the shops we are in, she set into myself and our business.

For the first time in my life, I was called cutthroat because as a company I will only slowly raise our prices each year, and not raise them to where other companies in this area have them.

I also feel that I wouldn't want to pay $20.00 for a shirt so why would I charge that amount?

I stopped responding and moved on with my day.

We help build up other businesses and when we can't do something or we know for a fact that another business is doing it at that time we send people to the businesses that are doing it.

For example, there is one local business doing those picture frames with the song scan code. Can we do them? yes, 100% we can, are we doing them this valentines day? no. I sent them the name and business page link to that potential client.

I came across this quote the day after being called cutthroat. I have no idea who said it, but I do know that it is very true. As women in general and especially as women business owners we have enough crap thrown at us daily we don't need to sling mud at each other as well. The world IS big enough for all of us to be successful.