Why I’m Not a “Yes” Man

It is tempting, especially when running a small business, to do everything you can for everyone. And, the requests will roll in, especially if you are in service.

For Food Pedaler, among the requests we commonly received were for deliveries outside our service area and to pick up from places not partnered with us. We initially tried to cater to these demands — we would dedicate a lot of resources to communicating back and forth, had to add a large fee on top of regular delivery rate and tip, and the delivery time took longer overall. Fortunately, I quickly learned what we were good at: delivering folks’ food in around 30 minutes, from restaurants who partner with and love working with us, and being able to do that for a delivery rate under $5. Focusing on what we are great at allowed us to grow organically and profitably. Delivery services abound now as on demand delivery became all the rage in the past couple years, but still none of these high tech start-ups are able to do what we do.

Saying “no” to all the noise can mean saying “yes” to what you do best.