So here we are, finding ourselves about to begin a beautiful Newtown Square, PA fall…
Isn’t it amazing how quickly time has flown by in 2014? Soon we’ll be halfway through this century’s second decade. And I still remember holding my breath at Y2K! Crazy.
There’s a reason for my mini-meditation, today, on time and its passage. You see, it’s SO easy to let it all flow by … and to not take a good hard look at doing things differently in your business.
Every week, I do my best to give you a quick “shot in the arm” for your business, and break you out of the routine. Honestly, I have such a great time putting together these notes for business owners, because I love thinking about my friends and clients putting good advice into practice to actuallygrow their business.
But sometimes momentum is a killer.
I share a little story for you which demonstrates my point, for this week’s blog post, and a few comments to pull it all together.
Read on, and send me your feedback.
Killer Momentum
“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” – Peter F Drucker
When I meet with business owner clients or friends in the Newtown Square, PA area, I discover that many of them have a method of how they run their business … and they haven’t deviated from it for years.
Well, I remember an exchange from a plane, which got me to thinking about this phenomenon … and what it means for your business.
As the plane was being boarded, the flight attendant was passing through the cabin asking passengers what they wanted to drink before takeoff. “I’ll have a Diet Pepsi,” said one person. “A double vodka for me, please,” said another passenger … and it wasn’t even lunch time yet.
When the flight attendant reached a kind-looking matron, she asked for an iced tea. An interesting exchange followed:
Flight Attendant: I’m sorry, we don’t have any iced tea.
Passenger: Do you have hot tea?
Flight Attendant: Yes…
Passenger: Do you have ice?
Flight Attendant: Yes…
Passenger: Do you have sugar and lemon?
Flight Attendant: Uh, yes…
Passenger: Then forget the iced tea; just give me a cup of hot tea and add some ice, sugar, and lemon, please.
At that point, everyone who had heard the conversation, including the flight attendant, began to laugh. Everyone’s concept of iced tea was of a drink already prepared and packaged in a can or bottle. Only the passenger (who had obviously had this conversation many times before), had the concept of iced tea as a mixture of ingredients which were all readily available on the plane.
How many times, when faced with difficult or challenging situations, do we focus on the reasons we can’t do something instead of identifying ways in which we can?
Many business owners get stuck in auto-pilot, closing their minds to new ways of doing things because they simply don’t have the context.
So, here’s my suggestion for you this week: take a fresh look at your 1) marketing, 2) management procedures, and 3) sales steps. Try to see new ways of accomplishing similar goals, test them out … and perhaps watch your profits soar once more.
Feel very free forward this article to a Newtown Square, PA business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance — or simply send them our way? While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, at Stephen J. Venuti, CPA, MST, LLC we specialize in tax preparation and planning for Newtown Square, PA families and business owners. And we always make room for referrals from trusted sources like you.
Warmly (and until next week),
Stephen Venuti
610-353-0686
Stephen J. Venuti, CPA, MST, LLC
