One of the things I enjoy most about living and working in Gillespie County is watching a visitor’s reaction when they discover something they weren’t expecting.

It might be a great glass of wine, a memorable meal, a shop they didn’t know existed or a conversation with a local business owner that makes them feel welcome. Those are the moments that turn a visit to Fredericksburg into something people remember.

And that got me thinking about a recent Harvard Business Review Executive Masterclass featuring Marcus Buckingham on designing experiences that drive results.

His basic premise is simple: Businesses don’t just provide products or services. They create experiences.

For our small businesses, that is an especially important idea.

Think about the number of businesses a visitor might encounter during a weekend in Gillespie County. A hotel or B&B, a coffee shop, a winery, a restaurant, a boutique, an art gallery and perhaps a local attraction. Each interaction contributes to the visitor’s overall experience.

We sometimes talk about these businesses as separate pieces of our tourism economy. Visitors don’t see it that way. To them, it is one experience.

And every business has a role in creating it.

The good news is that designing a great experience doesn’t necessarily require a big budget. Our small businesses have an advantage that large corporations often struggle to duplicate: personal attention.

A customer remembers being greeted by name. They remember an employee who took the time to explain a wine. They remember a server who made a great recommendation. They remember the shop owner who asked where they were from and genuinely seemed interested in the answer.

Those little things matter.

So does the opposite.

A visitor who waits too long to be acknowledged, encounters with employees who seem unhappy to be there, or has a problem that nobody takes ownership of will remember that experience, too.

This is where Buckingham’s message becomes particularly relevant for Gillespie County business owners. We should occasionally stop looking at our businesses from the owner’s perspective and experience them as a customer.

Walk through the front door. What happens?

Is someone there to greet you? Is it obvious where you should go? Does the employee seem genuinely happy to see you? Is the information you need easy to find? And if something goes wrong, how does the business respond?

Then ask yourself one more question: Would I tell a friend about this experience?

There is another side to this equation. Business owners are also designing experiences for their employees. How employees are trained, recognized, trusted and treated directly influences how they treat customers.

That is particularly important for small businesses, where one employee can represent the entire company.

We have an incredible competitive advantage in Gillespie County. Our businesses are small enough to be personal, our community is authentic, and our visitors are looking for something they cannot get from a chain restaurant or a shopping mall.

We should use that advantage.

The next time you think about improving your business, don’t just ask, “What should we sell?” Ask, “What experience do we want our customers to have?”

Long after visitors leave Fredericksburg, they may not remember exactly what they bought.

But they will remember how we made them feel.