Shoe polishing services are probably one of the oldest small business initiatives; and I have seen them all over the world. In South Africa, they are an institution at the major airports; and to be honest they are often the only reason I have polished shoes! In fact I find it strange that they are only available after security in the departures lounge - I think it would also be a good service in the general public areas and at the luggage pickup area!
The airport initiative is one of the most successful small business startups; and the guys are always friendly. This afternoon there was some friendly banter between the guys; first on one of the guys pointing out that one of his colleague's cleaning equipment was not up to scratch to which the colleague retorted that the others were just jealous that he gets so many customers, leading to higher wear and tear!
I find it quite interesting that you often get the most personal and likable service at small businesses; and it is not because they have a wealth of personal information backed by data mining. It is perhaps a lesson that bigger organizations may need to learn.
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