Ellen and I travel a lot.
We like to chat with the locals to get the inside scoop.
Most locals love to talk about where they live.
They often tell us which restaurants the locals hang out at.
The food is usually better and cheaper than the tourist traps.
They also tell us where the best beaches are to avoid the crowds.
Last week, our concierge told us some great stories about Hawaiian culture.
When we asked about the volcanoes, she corrected us and said they call them mountains, not volcanoes.
She also told us about Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and fire.
"Don't piss off Pele," she said.
"Enjoy the islands but respect them. Look but don't touch," she said.
One day, our friend Diane found a beautiful rock she wanted to take home.
She took the rock back to our hotel and then remembered what our concierge said.
Turns out, small earthquakes started rumbling on the Kilauea Volcano that day.
The next day, Diane returned the rock to the beach because she didn't want to piss off Pele.
What does this story have to do with your business?
Everything.
Business is about trust and relationships.
You build trust by telling stories.
You build trust by helping people.
We trust our concierge because she told us some interesting stories.
She told us where the locals hang out so we experienced the local culture and ate at better restaurants.
She told us where NOT to go.
Everyone at our resort was very helpful and went out of their way to make our experience the best it could be.
Because of this, we plan to return to the resort next year.
We already recommended the resort to our friends.
This is how you build a thriving business.
