Build Your Business Through Kindness
Did I mention...it's Free
A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. ~ Amelia Earhart
In the little town of Bellmead, Texas, a new Yukon rolled into town and broke down. It was nearly 6pm and it was still hot. Janet and her husband (ages 69 and 74) were on their way to her sister’s memorial, just 130 miles away in Frisco.
Easing in to the Bellmead NAPA Auto Parts Store, the couple explained their plight to Joe, the store manager. The car was under warranty. The memorial was in 20 hours. She was sad. Her husband was frustrated.
Joe arranged to have the Yukon towed to the local repair shop where they verified that the engine was ‘shot’.
(I’ve never thought about that expression until just now, but I can definitely see how an engine that had been ‘shot’ would be disastrous….especially in Texas.)
Joe waited patiently with his employee Wyatt, while Janet and her husband called their family in Frisco, tried to figure out how to get the truck back to Houston for warranty work, and made calls to find a rental car and hotel for the night. By now it was 6:30pm and NAPA Auto Parts was closed. It was still sweltering.
As the couple contemplated their bad luck, Joe turned to them and said, “I’ll be happy to drive y’all to Frisco.”
“Oh, no no no, we couldn’t let you do that,” Janet said. But Joe continued, “God puts people in your path in life for a reason. Let me be that person for you, please.”
Who could argue with that.
Off to Frisco
Joe took his truck home and picked up his wife’s car, then he drove the couple 130 miles to their niece’s home in Frisco. Back in Bellmead, he also kept an eye on their truck for seven days until AAA picked it up for warranty repair.
Janet and her husband attended the memorial, then flew home to Houston. They never saw Joe again.
After they returned home, Janet wrote a beautiful letter to the Waco Tribune-Herald, telling the story of kindness. And she went one step further. She wrote, “Go to NAPA Auto Parts in Bellmead for all your auto needs, and experience the kindness of Joe and Wyatt. You will not be disappointed and you will be treated like family. In this current world we live in, there is hope because of wonderful people like Joe and Wyatt…”
Free Marketing
There are plenty of marketing companies that would spend your hard earned money to help promote your business. I just can’t quite think of any media company that could do it better than Janet. Maybe she had a marketing background but….I don’t think so.
And the catalyst for all that free marketing? Kindness. Joe didn’t help Janet and her husband because he expected anything in return. But his kind act inspired Janet to write a letter that was sure to bring business to their Napa Auto Parts company. It’s all part of the science of the law of reciprocity. Research proves that kindness generates more kindness.
In addition to bringing business to the store, kind acts like Joe’s are great for employee morale, they help promote good will in the community, and they even encourage people to want to work there.
These kind acts aren’t ‘acts’ like the act of a play. They aren’t planned and they aren’t publicity stunts. They are genuine acts of human kindness.
El Sur Street Food Company
In another example, El Sur Street Food Company in Little Rock, Arkansas, got a boost on Facebook and later in the online site Smile by InspireMore when an employee served a homeless man a full meal… on the house.
And perhaps as important as the food, the employee also showed the man respect and dignity by inviting him to sit at one of their tables to enjoy his meal. A customer who noticed the kindness, shared the exchange saying, “Amazing food, amazing folks. This is the Arkansas I want.”
Slug-a-Bug
The next time you’re out and about, be on the lookout for businesses that are giving out kindness. It’s a little like that old game of ‘Slug-a-Bug’…when you were traveling in a car and you called out “Slug-a-Bug” every time you saw a Volkswagen Beetle. Because you were looking, suddenly they seemed to be everywhere. Kindness is like that, too. Just start looking for it and it will appear. And maybe you’ll be the person who helps a business grow.
May your week be filled with kindness. 💚
⭐You are invited to check out my new newsletter, the After 21 Club. I describe it as “A sweet retreat where Friday meets you on the way to life's little pleasures. Reviews, recommendations, and thoughts to share from multiple generations.” I’d like to invite you to visit and sign up, if you wish. I’m excited to have a community of multiple generations coming together. Please let me know what you think. Articles come out on Fridays.
From the Kindness Magnet Vault you may also enjoy reading:
Going Out on a Limb; 35 Useful Benefits of Kindness
Justice, 30 Cents, and 25 Kindness Ideas for Kids
How Kindness Launched Two Careers
Check out all of the Kindness Magnet articles here. It’s a fun place to visit.
Kindness Magnet now has readers in 57 countries. If you haven’t subscribed yet, I would like to invite you to join us.
Another way to help us grow is to share this article with your friends. Thank you for helping.
One Christmas, I found a 10 pound note on my doorstep. No one had knocked at the door and dropped it, as confirmed by my children, and it wasn't a windy day. Someone's kindness that day extended into generosity.
I would like to see more of that kindness in today's world - going the extra mile just because..