10/09/2026
AN OPEN LETTER TO BUSINESSES THAT COLD CALL & COLD EMAIL SMALL BUSINESSES.
From one small business owner to another business trying to sell me something…
PLEASE. DO. YOUR. RESEARCH.
If you can Google my phone number or email address, you can take 60 seconds to look at my website or social media to find out what we actually do, where we’re located and when we’re open.
We are NOT a traditional retail store. A quick search would tell you that.
And while we’re at it, a few other things:
📞 Respect our business hours. Calling repeatedly when we’re closed, listening to a voicemail greeting that clearly states our hours, and then calling AGAIN when we’re closed makes absolutely no sense.
👋 INTRODUCE YOURSELF! The number of calls I answer where someone launches straight into a sales pitch without telling me their name or what company they’re representing is mind-blowing. Better yet, if you’re local, come into the shop. Introduce yourself. Get to know our business. Build a relationship before trying to sell me something.
🚫 NO MEANS NO. A polite decline is not an invitation for another phone call, another email or another attempt to change my mind.
And here’s something else…
We’ve been in business since 2022. That’s website, google profile, socials, ect. We didn’t suddenly become a business when we opened our storefront in 2025.
Funny how none of these companies seemed interested in our business before we had a physical location. But now? Suddenly we’re on everyone’s sales list.
Small business owners are juggling a million things.
I’m all for networking, collaboration and supporting other businesses.
But there’s a BIG difference between building a business relationship and treating someone like your next sales target.
If you want small businesses to respect your business, start by respecting ours.
Sincerely,
A small business owner who’s tired of being sold to. 💜
