We are all on this ship called business together; it all goes down or it all stays afloat!

We are all on this ship called business together; it all goes down or it all stays afloat!

When I first heard that our country was in a recession, it took me by surprise because I didn’t understand why, except somebody in the news media said so. Had this finally happened that we had outspent ourselves and been unprepared for the trials of our extended lifestyle in this wonderful country, America?

WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
We were the country that everyone looked to for the unique items that the rest of the world wanted. In one of my talks years ago, I used to tell people that we feed three-fifths of the world, but then we went and taught many countries to feed themselves. This of course has always been the Christian thing to do, and since our country was founded on Christian principles, we did what was right. We did the world a big favor, as we have shared our knowledge many times in many areas, not in just teaching others about raising their own food, but we educated them out of buying from us.

Then there was the time when we were an industrial nation, and we made the things others in the world wanted, and we sold them on the idea that they needed them. We had great innovators like Henry Ford who guaranteed his workers $5 a day, which was twice what the average factory worker could make in other production arenas. But his production increased and his creativity was rewarded as his employees responded by doubling their output for their boss.

It is time we sold our employees on the fact that this business ship we are on either goes down with everyone on board, or it will stay afloat with the owner and the crew. Years ago, two Irishmen were crossing the Atlantic, and their ship started to sink; one Irishman said, “Let her go, she’s not ours.” The fact is it is ours, especially if we are on it. If the ship goes down with us all on it, then we all go down, or if it stays afloat, then we all stay afloat. The thing we call business is for everyone; as the owner we must consider those who work for us as working with us, and we need them in order to stay afloat and grow. And the worker must have understanding of the challenges of business and the fact that if the business fails, they too will fail. We are all on this ship called business together; it all goes down or it all stays afloat!

The point is that Americans have always been innovative and very creative with the use of their minds—with taking the obvious and forming sought-after commodities desired worldwide. We must continue to dream and succeed with the God-given gift of our mind to create.

WHAT IS NEXT?
It is very interesting when we think, in our lifetime, just what has been invented that someone else couldn’t have invented? After all, everything on this earth comes from dirt; it sounds silly, but think about it. The chair you might be sitting in, even the paper from which you are reading came from trees of this earth. The carpet on the floor, the drapes, or even the clothes on your back—all of these things came from the earth or the results of life on this earth. The animals were the byproduct of the earth itself.

And if we use this mundane thought then if we all have had access to what makes the world’s products, then it is not the raw materials that make the difference, but those who have the real creativity that make the real difference. Those who succeed and make history are those who take others’ ideas and attempt to improve upon them. But normally the one we remember is the one whose creativity made the original item or took it to the public and merchandised it. That is right—the product created must be taken to the buying public; if not nothing happens, there isn’t really any use in creating anything. Focus your thought on the future and how your small business can help others.

CAN YOU RELATE TO THIS?
As I was growing up, I had always been taught that if I did what was right and worked hard, the opportunity to succeed would be available to me. Not a guarantee for success, but the opportunity to succeed and the freedom to give it a shot. It didn’t make any difference that I was young—only 12 years old—or that I wasn’t rich; I had to borrow $186 to get started. Or that I didn’t have any business experience, I had never been in business for myself before.

There were many reasons why I shouldn’t have had the right to succeed in some societies in the world, but I lived in America, and that meant I had been presented, just by being born here, my chance at bat. I might strike out, but I would get my chance—if I were willing to take a chance.

This didn’t mean I would make it, but my parents and my teachers—and as I got older, I started listening to motivational speakers and preachers—told me anything was possible. But the teachers told me I had to be prepared with education; my grandmother always said that I had to do the right thing, and I would be rewarded. And my parents said that the little things would make the real difference; these little things weren’t little at all.

The older I became, I found out that many lacked in the possession of these little things, and it might be a real challenge to accomplish everything. Those little things became the big things as over the years I had dealings with people and understood their importance in most business transactions. I found that people would promise many things that they had no intention of delivering.

I was young and living at home, and fortunately my expenses were low, and my parents let me do my own thing and make mistakes in my little business, but I soon realized that there were basics, and I would need to assemble those basics and master them. Then came my gift: a wonderful wife, Nora, and her education in selling and her commitment to customer service and ethics demonstrated through integrity as she introduced me to several other segments of education in small business.

Those segments included ethics, customer service and the silent exchange of the Golden Rule. It is a continual process, and there is so much to learn; one should never stop learning, because it is an ongoing education for all of us. In the coming months, we are getting ready to start a journey that will arm you with small business practices to help you focus on your future. Join me starting next month as we explore a multitude of exciting business subjects to help your business grow.