My MBA Lesson $42,000

While my family and friends made a day trip of my graduation ceremony in Texas, my mom and I went there early to visit, for the first time, the school that I had been attending via online courses for the past three years. Taking online classes allowed me to continue to run my two businesses, ServNet LLC and Abway Technology, while getting my MBA from a well-known business school, 1,493 miles away from home.During my undergraduate courses at Cal State Stanislaus and again during my MBA studies, I was required to find local businesses and act as a consultant, pouring over their financial statements and strategies. I often worked with other students in teams providing recommendations based on our analysis. Although these exercises were fun, I benefited from acting as a consultant and gained a valuable analytical way of thinking. I now incorporate SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis in diagnosing businesses I interact with.An hour before my MBA graduation ceremony, I stopped in at a coffee shop called Pride Coffee, located at 1706 Lee St. in Commerce, Texas. My first impression was that it was an ordinary coffee shop with drinks, snacks, and a cozy environment. My opinion of the shop quickly changed as we were greeted with huge smiles and the best customer service I've ever received. Period.Pride Coffee is not in the business of selling coffee or products. They are in the business of customer service which just happens to sell coffee. I ordered a smoothie, made with fresh fruit. My mom, not hungry yet, just requested her water bottle be re-filled. The owner not only filled her bottle, but offered to wash and sterilize it. The "Pride" they took in their work and serving customers wowed me. I tried to pay for my smoothie and they insisted that I wait until I was done eating and satisfied before paying. This is rarely seen in today's market and demonstrated a real concern for me, the customer, over their bottom line.We ended up ordering two more items from their menu because the smoothie and fresh fruit were so good. While enjoying the delicious food, I observed the owners interact with other customers and saw the same warm smile and outstanding customer service delivered to everyone who walked through the door. A man came back to the cafe after retrieving his wallet. The owner repeatedly stated, "I wish you would have told me. You could have come back and paid later". From what I've learned about Pride Coffee, this is common practice. Hans Bawary, the owner recalls, "The first day we did not have the credit card machine up and running, so I told them to come back to pay and every single one of them did." The entire business is centered around customer service and putting the customer's needs first. Businesses can learn a lot from Pride Coffee and better understand how heroic customer service can completely change an experience for the consumer.Pride Coffee eased my hunger and gave me my final lesson as an MBA student: Always treat your customers as your first priority. There's no faking this. And if done right, people are bound to become fans. We now live in an age where one recommendation can be read across the world in minutes. One positive or negative review can be read by thousands.Pride Coffee's business model and attitude towards customer service reminds me a lot of Zappos, which is known for their top notch customer service and their ability to "WOW" people. If you're ever in Commerce, Texas, I recommend you visit Pride Coffee. As a consumer you'll love the food and customer service and as a business professional you'll learn more from them than any MBA textbook can ever teach you.