Thanks For Your Support

My favorite bike shop is not the biggest or the best stocked. It’s not the closest or even the most convenient. Their hours can be hit or miss and their inventory isn’t all that consistent.

That said, every time I need something for my bike in SF I’ll trek all the way across town to give my business to a little tiny shop called Mash Transit.

I found the store through their social media accounts and the content they generate that has nothing, and everything, to do with their retail shop. Their videos are so well done and perfectly bite sized for a world of quick shares and instant gratification. Their Instagram account is consistently cranking out images that would make anyone want to skip work to head out on a ride. Their eye for curating and collaborating with brands and tastemakers creates a kind of confidence that anything you buy there is going to be the absolute best.

But lots of bike shops give good social media. And many have good, and more consistent, inventory.

So why bother going so far out of my way to shop with Mash?

From my first visit to my last purchase, I each time they hand me my bag full of goodies the clerk looks directly at me and earnestly says “thanks for your support”.

That reads much more dramatic than it actually is, but it’s a moment. And a genuine one at that. The message I get is that they know I’ve ridden past a lot of other shops to come to theirs. Regardless of how big or small my purchase is that day, the time spent getting there and the dollars I spend with them seem to matter.

And it matters to me too.

When was the last time a store or brand thanked you for supporting them? When, if ever, have you felt like the dollars you spent with them helped in some way to actually support their business, their families or their dreams?

We talk a lot about scale, about churn and about creating value for shareholders. But when was the last time we felt great about supporting with our time, attention or money the companies who set those things as their core values?

We talk a lot about changing the world. When we do, we tend to envision Google or Facebook. But when I hear a company thank me for my support, they’ve changed my world a little bit better and, I get the sense, I’ve changed theirs just a little bit too.