FEATURED COVER STORY
Bailey Outdoors Puts Customers First
B
by Mark Bailey
ailey Outdoors opened its doors in June 2013 after
was centered around the transportation industry, and she
I drove to Cleveland to buy parts for my Cub
worked in the school system, which she still does today.
Cadet Lawnmower, since the local dealership had
One of the biggest lessons I learned in management for over
closed. As I inquired about the possibility of seeing a new
26 years is you don’t always have to have all the answers,
dealership open up in Dalton, I was told that the area
but you do need to build a team that supports different
representative was looking for someone to fulfill that need.
aspects of the business to be successful.
I started thinking about the possibility, and as many
Our goal is to give every customer “The Greatest
people never realize, starting up your own business is a
Customer Experience” when they walk into our dealership,
multi-step process. After locating a building on East Morris
and the first rule I have for any new employee is simple. “I’d
Street, getting a business license, hiring employees, and
rather you tell the customer the truth and have them walk
buying products to sell, you quickly realize this is just
out the door than lie to them to get their business.” If you
the start. You have to handle workers’ comp and liability
tell them the truth, although it’s not what they want to hear
insurance, create a payroll, pay the power bill and the
at the time, you have left the door open for them to return. If
electric bill, and set up a computer system.
you lie to them and they find out, it will spread like wildfire.
My wife, Wendy, and I prayed hard if God was leading
I also tell my employees, “If someone walks through that
us in this direction to start up a business. We had never
door, acknowledge that they walked through that door, and
taken on a task like this before but also realized every
don’t forget about them.” Sometimes people just want to
business out here, whether it succeeds or fails, comes from
know that you acknowledged their existence.
a dream of what you want to do in life and from trying to give the public a different choice. My entire working career
26 // March 2020
Growing up in Dalton my entire life, working my entire career in Dalton and Rome, raising my family here, seeing
