The past couple of weeks has been focused on helping students find credible resources for my classes. Out of desperation, I begin to search YouTube for some material other than the Harvard Business School, Standford’s Y-Combinator, and other university lead channels. I normally hesitate in referring to YouTube for anything other than personal entertainment, or mind-numbing activities, but I ran across a grass-cutting channel that focused on many of the social traits stressed in my classes.
The videos start with the owner of the landscaping/grass-cutting company standing in front of an overgrown lawn or a disabled person’s home stating that he is going to cut and trim the lawn for, you ready, FREE! In today’s business world, the word free is a four-letter word that is never spoken. For the landscaping company to provide the labor, material, and time to cut the grass is unheard of. They film the grass-cutting on their smartphone as they cut, trim, and clean up the grass, tree limbs, and in most cases, a large amount of trash from the lot. They do not ask for money to cover costs or help from the neighbors, they just do it.
The act of doing the work for free rings large in my classes, both socially and from a business standpoint. Giving back to your community is something most companies do not think about or do. Community involvement to better the community as a whole is a foreign concept because it takes time, money, and effort away from their business of selling. Companies do not understand they would not have a business if it was not for the community in which they reside. No community, no business.
From a business standpoint, there are many things that are achieved via the act of free and posting it on YouTube. In many of the videos, one will see neighbors, passerby’s, and others watching or talking with them. Although not shown in the videos, one can bet that business cards and other related information are passed that will help to build their business through showcasing their landscaping product…for free. This is one of the best cost-effective marketing plans in action all companies are searching for. Donating a few hours of labor, a small amount of time and material to sell your business is a basic marketing concept.
Posting the video to YouTube is a great advertising move. With YouTube and associated applications be pushed to smartphones and other mobile devices, the advertising aspects is immense. The videos and company information can be forwarded to unlimited potential customers, word-of-mouth, or in this case, device-to-device advertising.
The concept of free needs to make a comeback in the business community. While cutting grass is a time-consuming and hard job, other smaller things can be done to give back to the community and help foster growth for your company. Take the time to review your business and identify what things you could do for your community. Give a try, it will do your business and heart good!
Dr. Lawson is an executive coach and a Professor of Economics and Strategy. He writes on business issues, education, and developing today’s modern executives. He can be found on Twitter @dplwsn and #TMIBS.
© Dr. David Lawson 2022
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