“IT WAS ALWAYS THERE”
This article and some real-life stories will paint on canvas why you should attack the market at all times, and always work to grow your business. Short of nuclear war or the world being infected with a hybrid of the bubonic plague crossing with Ebola, ATTACK and GROW. The analogies herein also apply to virtually any business platform.
REAL LIFE STORY: I was fortunate to interview at a young age, with a mega businessman who had a firm grip on an entire metro market with multiple businesses spread across the large geographical area. He was very successful no doubt, but still had issues with overall performance in most of his locations–yes, you can be dominant in a market but still have underperforming assets regardless. To my surprise, the owner cold called me to set up an interview, and the meeting was on. He already had a manager of his business who had been with him for over a decade, but the numbers were lousy.
I walked in and the rapport was immediately good-we discussed his operations at length, and I could almost smell the money, and I actually was struggling to subdue my excitement. But I had to be cool and not too eager. We were 2 hours into it when the current Manager of his platform walked in unannounced (someone internally gave him a heads up I was there interviewing). He anxiously looked me over and began a diatribe to the owner about how he found out, that one of his department Managers was going to pay 3 dollars too much for a certain item and how he had found it for that much less. The owner said thanks John and then he was excused. The owner turned to me and said, well what do you think? I said, while he’s chasing 3 bucks, I’ll be making changes daily and make you thousands more every damn day.
The owner said how will I pay you? I thought for a few seconds (my mind was racing with possibilities) so I rolled the dice and said, I’ll take 50% of the net profit increase annually. The owner looked out the window for a full minute (an eternity for 2 grown Men in a meeting) and turned to me and said quote: I can’t do that, because I don’t want to walk in every day and say I hate that high priced guy sitting over there.. In an instant he realized that I saw potential profits and money he never thought existed.. 30 minutes later we agreed to a salary and benefits, and I started a week later, leaving a good job that I already had.
Fast forward 90 days later with blow out records each month, he called me into his office and said, fix us both a Salud. I walked over to his bar in the back of his office and made 2 V.O. and waters and sat down. After a few sips he asked, how did you do it? I knew it would be impossible to impart all the changes and knowledge that led to the records and the fast changes, so I cut to the chase and simply said “it was always there”. He stared at me for a few moments and then looked out that window again, and then turned back and said quote: John, I hate that Son of a Bitch… In a twinkling of an eye, he realized he had missed out on tens of millions of dollars over the last 10+ years..
The point is simple–the business, the ability to drive profits and build Teams, had always been there! It wasn’t the consumer or economy that was afoul, it was the leadership and direction of the Teams that were insufficient to get the results.
How can that dramatic of a change happen in the same setting? It’s a combination of experience and most importantly seeing it differently and understanding the big picture.
Remember this example: A plumbing truck with a sign on the side that reads, “YOUR SHIT IS OUR BREAD”. The plumber lives off what other people flush.
There is also the joke about the Parents who had 2 identical Sons, but one was an eternal optimist and the other was always a pessimist. They were perplexed about this, so they took them both to a child psychiatrist and left them for the entire day. They came back and asked him, what did you find Doctor? He said, well, let me show you. He walked them down to the first room and there was the pessimist sitting in the middle of a room full of toys and he was all dejected and unhappy sucking his thumb and not playing with anything. The Doctor then told the parents, now follow me–he took them to the next room and here was the eternal optimist in a room full of horsecrap up to his knees and he had a plastic shovel, and he was singing and whistling as he shoveling away.. The doctor opened the door and asked, Tell us Son, why are you so happy? The boy replied, in all this horsecrap there’s gotta be a pony somewhere and I’m gonna find him and have a ride!
What’s your outlook–do you think you have gotten all there is to get? Are you an eternal optimist or the pessimist? Are you blaming the consumer, the election cycle or are you finding a new way. If you don’t like the current results–CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES NOW!
TRUE STORY: I went into another geographical area on the other side of the country and found a failing business that was getting its ass kicked by EVERYONE in the market and I mean EVERYONE. The business was full of arrogant and lazy employees, and it was bleeding red ink down the gutter into the street monthly. I live by a lot of sayings and one is: “when it’s bad, it’s ALL bad”.. Rarely have I cleaned house in my career, but this business needed new attitudes, as it was ONLY people problems hanging it up. It had also turned into a country club–people were looking at their watches and shutting down 1 hour before closing time. A week later I was ordering Pizza Hut pizza at 10 P.M. and we left after an all-time record day around 12:30 that night.
Let me clarify–marketing hadn’t been changed yet, no new employees YET and it was the same consumers. What changed? EXPECTATIONS! A few months later all the pending changes took place across the board, and the business became a market leader and went on to turn unbelievable numbers. One more point of clarification–I am an uneducated Man in scholarly ways, but I am street wise and I’m willing to make tough decisions. Make a damn decision every day if you don’t like the results you are getting! My question is this–are you waiting for someone to walk up behind you and swift kick you in the ass and say here I am ready to buy, or here I am and I want to do business you and I’ll pay too much.. Good luck with that..
ATTACK the market consistently, grow your staff with improved talent at all times and be creative in marketing. OR sell your business, because Brother, Sister, it AIN’T GONNA CHANGE FOR YOU doing the same thing. THE BUSINESS IS ALWAYS THERE—but you aren’t there!
And by the way, if the plague and Ebola do cross and you get it–let me suggest a new diet for you–pancakes and bacon, because that’s the only food they’ll side under the friggin’ door to you!
As for the election, forget about it–just manage your business and vote. It’s all B.S. anyway. I have lived through every kind of a President and Congress and guess what, HERE I AM.
We’ll all live and fight another day regardless.
All the best to everyone and I hope you have a big 4th quarter due to making great decisions and providing strong leadership! It’s always there, and it’s ALL up to you!
Bruce Daugherty