Everyone in business knows that 2009 was a challenge. The year began in a confused haze of government bailouts and general uncertainty. By the end of 2009, all was not “back to normal” but there was a sense that the worst was over. Many of us who have been in business for a while (we have been at it for 28 years now) have seen something similar to this and resisted the urge to panic. Fortunately for us at Higgins, we have a lot of great customers who trust us and rely on us to help them when they are having an event. 

The new “normal” seems to be providing a little bit fewer rentals for fewer events.  For those of us accustomed to sales growth, that’s a bitter pill to swallow that takes some time to rationalize.  For the first few months, it was easy to get frustrated that events were smaller or less frequent, but then something strange happened. We decided to do an even better job at serving fewer customers. While we have always prided ourselves on our quality and service, we have placed an even greater emphasis on those areas.  Chairs and cocktail bars painted, tables repaired and glassware polished, we have come to enjoy serving fewer customers in order that we are able to serve them better.  It sure is nice to get calls from customers who want to comment on how our glassware was perfect or our delivery staff helpful.

It has been a brutal economic situation for the past year and a half or so.  I wouldn’t want to diminish the economy’s effect on Canada and  the GTA in particular.  For us here at Higgins, however, it has helped to remind us how fortunate we are to have loyal customers.  We are all working even harder to send you the best rental products that we can produce.  We have even lowered our prices this year to make celebrating fit in a tighter budget.  If you are having an event this year (big or small) we hope that you will give us a chance to work our hardest for you!

Wishing you a happy and successful 2010!

John Higgins