"Even though his wife died the night before...
... the dairy farmer still has to milk his cows in the morning."
This statement (by, I believe, Robert Schuler) sums up what it means to be an entrepreneur. It's sad, and it's brutal, but it's true (it's also true for all military personnel).
No matter what happens in your life you still have an obligation to your customers, clients and business associates to get done what you promised them to. Your own personal tragedy is no excuse for this, and in fact they shouldn't even know about it.
As Bill Parcells says, there is a price to be paid for everything, and this is one of the prices of being an entrepreneur. It is amazing to me how many people don't get this. There's nothing that pisses me off more than a vendor missing a deadline because his kid had a doctor's appointment, his dog died, or a long lost brother showed up.
All that matters is results, and as a business owner you either got the job done or you didn't. Tragedies happen to everyone, and the successful business owner designs his business so that tragedies don't interfere with the running of the business. In fact, with the "best of the best" you never hear about their own tragedies.
You're not supposed to. That's the price to be paid for being the best of the best.
Two seasons ago the sports media gushed over Brett Favre's "courageous performance" against the second worst team in the NFL (the Raiders) on a Monday night game. Favre's father had tragically died that week, and the media was just breathless with his decision to play.
They shouldn't have been. He did what he was supposed to do. He did his job, just as any Sgt., Captain, Corporal, Private, Admiral, or General would have done. He had an obligation to his teammates, coaches, and fans to play, and he lived up to it... like he was supposed to. That's the price for being an NFL player.
Now, as Favre (the most overrated QB to ever play the game) always does, he sent his team home from the playoffs by throwing his usual miserable playoff interceptions and the sports media hushed it up.
But competency is a topic for another email...
The point is this: if you're going to be successful long term in business you must 1) Understand the marketplace judges you only on results and 2) You must tolerate only those associates and vendors who understand this as well. Otherwise you'll just be broke, out of business, and crying in the rain.
Let's get to it...
Mr. X.
Group M Marketing
Kimble and Kennedy Publishing
This statement (by, I believe, Robert Schuler) sums up what it means to be an entrepreneur. It's sad, and it's brutal, but it's true (it's also true for all military personnel).
No matter what happens in your life you still have an obligation to your customers, clients and business associates to get done what you promised them to. Your own personal tragedy is no excuse for this, and in fact they shouldn't even know about it.
As Bill Parcells says, there is a price to be paid for everything, and this is one of the prices of being an entrepreneur. It is amazing to me how many people don't get this. There's nothing that pisses me off more than a vendor missing a deadline because his kid had a doctor's appointment, his dog died, or a long lost brother showed up.
All that matters is results, and as a business owner you either got the job done or you didn't. Tragedies happen to everyone, and the successful business owner designs his business so that tragedies don't interfere with the running of the business. In fact, with the "best of the best" you never hear about their own tragedies.
You're not supposed to. That's the price to be paid for being the best of the best.
Two seasons ago the sports media gushed over Brett Favre's "courageous performance" against the second worst team in the NFL (the Raiders) on a Monday night game. Favre's father had tragically died that week, and the media was just breathless with his decision to play.
They shouldn't have been. He did what he was supposed to do. He did his job, just as any Sgt., Captain, Corporal, Private, Admiral, or General would have done. He had an obligation to his teammates, coaches, and fans to play, and he lived up to it... like he was supposed to. That's the price for being an NFL player.
Now, as Favre (the most overrated QB to ever play the game) always does, he sent his team home from the playoffs by throwing his usual miserable playoff interceptions and the sports media hushed it up.
But competency is a topic for another email...
The point is this: if you're going to be successful long term in business you must 1) Understand the marketplace judges you only on results and 2) You must tolerate only those associates and vendors who understand this as well. Otherwise you'll just be broke, out of business, and crying in the rain.
Let's get to it...
Mr. X.
Group M Marketing
Kimble and Kennedy Publishing
