Small businesses are struggling across the country, and host Tracey Williams-Dillard says a lot of that struggle is self-inflicted. On a recent episode of Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real, she sat down with Frank Brown, owner of Minuteman Press Uptown in Minneapolis, and consumer Tina Schlief for a candid conversation about what it really takes to run a customer-centered business and what happens when owners get it wrong.
The Customer Comes First, But Not Always at Any Price
Brown opened the conversation with a straightforward philosophy: customers pay the bills, and keeping them happy is the foundation of everything.
“It isn’t just products. It’s the service that they really come to our company for,” he said.
Schlief added the consumer perspective, pointing out that people do not always shop on price alone. Especially in competitive markets, where the same product is available at multiple places, the experience matters as much as the cost.
“People don’t always price shop. They also look for where they feel like the service is good, where they feel like they’re wanted, where they get a warm, intimate environment,” she said.
Brown agreed, noting that in his industry, relationships are everything. Breaking into a new client relationship means competing with a printer they already trust.
“Keeping a customer is a lot less expensive than trying to get a new customer,” he said. “That costs a lot more money and a lot more investment of time.”
The Biggest Myth in Customer Service
Williams-Dillard challenged her guests with a question: what is the biggest myth about keeping customers happy? The answer surprised no one in the room.
“The customer is always right,” she said. “That’s a myth.”
Schlief drew on her experience working at Nordstrom, where the rule was posted at the employee entrance in a framed sign: Rule No. 1, the customer is always right. Rule No. 2, if the customer is wrong, refer to Rule No. 1.
But she also recalled watching Eric Nordstrom himself step in to tell a customer who had been returning shoes repeatedly that the store would no longer be accepting her returns. Even at Nordstrom, there was a line.
Brown echoed that, saying his approach centers on the truth. When a client complained about a print job that came back wrong, he pointed out that they had received and approved a proof before printing went forward.
“The truth is the truth,” he said. “As long as everybody takes responsibility, you work it out and you retain the client.”
Williams-Dillard shared her own version of that lesson, recalling a client who ordered 10,000 paper fans when the order was supposed to be 100. The mistake, she said, was hers for being in a hurry and not slowing down to review the details.
Communication Over Perfection
All three agreed that when things go wrong, the worst thing a business can do is go silent. Schlief put it plainly: customers do not need perfection. They need communication.
“I’m going to tell my customer well in advance that this is what I foresee happening,” she said. “Not knowing is worse.”
Brown said the delays that affect his business are usually not on his end. Clients who are slow to approve proofs or who change their orders at the last minute create the bottlenecks. But whatever the cause, he keeps the client informed.
“As long as I have a real reason, and some of it is because of their inaction, I can explain that,” he said.
Building a Culture of Service From Day One
Williams-Dillard asked her guests how business owners build a culture of good service before they ever hire their first employee. Brown said it starts with the owner.
“I started with myself. I focused on customers because if you don’t, your business doesn’t exist,” he said. “Focus on the customer first and keep them top of mind when you’re doing things.”
Schlief pushed a step further, arguing that true customer service orientation may not be something that can be taught. It has to already be in the person.
“It’s something that is in someone, that they’re really willing to help, willing to go above and beyond,” she said. “When you answer the phone, you can tell if someone has a smile on the other end. That’s something that is hard to teach.”
Brown agreed and said his approach is to let his operations manager handle most customer resolution decisions. She has been with him for seven years, and that trust was built over time.
“You can’t trust somebody new to make those kinds of decisions,” he said. “They have to earn our trust of authority.”
What Happens When Customers Stay Quiet
One of the episode’s sharpest moments came when Brown described discovering a customer had been unhappy for a year without ever saying a word. He only found out when he reached out after noticing the client had not placed an order in 12 months.
“If they would have told me, I would have asked, ‘What can I do to make it right?’ and then done whatever they said,” he said. “But if you don’t tell me, I can’t make it right.”
Schlief admitted she is more likely to simply stop going to a business than to say anything. She described planning her 60th birthday party and reaching out to a Black-owned event planner and a Black-owned caterer, both of whom she never heard back from in any meaningful way. By the time the caterer called about the menu, Schlief had already hired someone else.
“I felt like I was chasing them to give them my money,” she said.
Williams-Dillard called that out directly as a pattern that hurts Black-owned businesses.
“They need to hear from the Tinas of the world,” she said. “Business owners, when your customers tell you something, don’t be upset. Just listen.”
On Hookups and Fair Pricing
The conversation wrapped with a pointed discussion about the expectation of discounts when doing business within the community. Both Williams-Dillard and Brown pushed back on the idea that Black-owned businesses should offer reduced rates simply because a customer is part of the same community.
“Stop asking for hookups, people. Just stop,” Williams-Dillard said. “Go in prepared to spend the same money you would anywhere else, but keep your high expectations. You have every right to them.”
Brown said he stopped offering free printing to nonprofits after realizing it rarely led to ongoing business. He now offers a 25 percent discount as a floor and holds it there.
“Small businesses don’t have the traffic and volume to come down on pricing,” Williams-Dillard said. “But all you have to do is have high expectations, make sure they’re met, and pay that price. It should all come out really well.”
The Power of Networking
Brown closed with what he called the key to surviving in a competitive market: building relationships on shared values.
“Networking is the key to the success of any business. It’s people you know, like, and trust,” he said. “We network on values. We have a network of people that believe the same things we believe in, and that is how we’ve been able to get in.”
Williams-Dillard summed up the episode’s central message for business owners: listen to your customers, communicate when things go wrong, put the right people in the right roles, and stop undercutting yourself. The doors stay open when the service is right.
