The Lazy
Business Man
Having
more money than passion!
2/12/08
- Michael Patrick Murphy
One day Ferd
Berfel decided to jump into his bagel business while
keeping his day job at ACME Widgets. He'd procrastinated
for years, but upon inheriting a healthy sum of money, Ferd
leapt.
He signed a lease and filled his bagel joint with
everything that came to mind. "Business plan schmisness
plan," Ferd thought.
At first, customers came and Ferd's hot looking female
manager kept 'em coming. He didn't stress too much, because
he set a few bucks aside for emergencies. He knew that if
he just made great bagels, folks would come from miles away
to share in his passion for them. At first, he felt like
someone important and someone who was going places.
Then the problems began. Ferd was so focused on the bagels
that he started to neglect things like the restrooms.
Seeing the business everyday, he failed to notice that his
signs were crooked and that dust was accumulating on the
fixtures above his boothes and tables. Worse, a recession
loomed and folks were staying home more.
Friends and customers tried to help and offer advice, often
from their own customer's perspective. They sounded more
and more like his bosses at ACME Widgets. One day Ferd
lashed out at his mother, "What do you know about bagels
anyway?" His mother backed off and so did Ferd's friends.
Pretty soon, Ferd's business just wasn't fun anymore. He
began to play with new ideas on his computer which kept on
crashing and frustrating him. He put few of them into
action. Indeed, Ferd's funds were starting to run low and
he no longer had enough to implement his grand schemes.
Towards the end, Ferd tried to offload responsibilities on
managers that he would later blame for his business's
failure.
Ferd eventually lost the business he never had control of.
Since he wasn't incorporated, he had to file for bankruptcy
in order to keep the creditors from attaching his ACME
wages. When Ferd looked back, he wondered how he ever
worked so hard for so little. True, Ferd was hard
working and considering his day job, he really did put in
some hours. However, Ferd's brain was lazy. Ferd worked
hard, but not smart. Two glaring traits persisted. Ferd
wouldn't plan and he wouldn't listen. Had he done so, the
outcome might have been very different. After all, Ferd did
make a very good bagel.
Let
The Small Businessman and its partners help you become the
success you always wanted to become.
As a Small Business consultant, I've watched numerous small
businesses close their doors before ever seeking advice
even after advice was offered. Fortunately, Ferd's story
doesn't have to be your story. For Small Businessman
members, advice and assistance is just around the corner.
Be sure to look at our Member Services every time
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Updated 2/12/08
