Not Far from the Tree

A Guide to Using Personality To Build Your Business

December 5, 2008

Issue # 8

The Hair Mouse in My House

2008 has been an interesting year. The news this year has been dominated by two things:

  • The nearly concluded election. They are still recounting that Senate race up in Minnesota so I can't say concluded quite yet.
  • The economy. Food goes up, gas prices shoot through the roof, how about a gas tax holiday, that's a terrible idea, gas prices fall, the stock market goes wacky, we bail out lots of people, etc.

But I bet you missed the most epic event of 2008. You know, when I cleaned out my tub drain?

You' might be wondering, "How is that in any way epic?" Obviously, you haven't seen what goes down our drain or you wouldn't be asking that question.

We have one woman and two girls in our house.  All three have long hair. That hair sometimes quite naturally falls off in the tub. It also quite naturally slips down the drain.

But when it slips down the drain, something extraordinary happens to ordinary hair. One strand multiplies into three strands which turn into 200 strands. And the whole mess gets surrounded by a soapy scum that turns hair into YUCK!

I strongly suspected what I was going to find when I pulled the drain plug. And I knew I wasn't going to like what I'd find, so I was reluctant to take decisive action.

After a month and a half of living with a progressively slower-draining tub, however, I knew that it was time to confront my personal demon. With a heavy heart, I unscrewed the drain to see what I might find. I drew my weapon of choice (needle-nosed pliers) and stepped forth, bravely facing the abyss. Minutes and few blech noises later, I pulled a mouse-sized, slimy hair plug from the drain.

Hallelujah and angel chorus. The skies parted and light shone down upon me. The drain was fixed. Water flowed freely and all was right in the universe of my bathroom.

So with tongue firmly in cheek, we come to the end of another year. (And yes, it does hurt to hold my tongue in my cheek for this long. Thank you very much for your concern.)

Now is a great time to ask yourself the question, "Is there anything blocking the flow of success in my business? Here are some questions you might consider:

  • Is my business niche narrow enough to capture the attention of a segment of the market?
  • Am I marketing the way I need to be marketing?
  • Am I chasing the wrong goals?
  • How do people see me and my business? Does that need to change?
  • Who are my best customers and what am I doing to find more customers like that?
  • What am I doing to stay in touch with the people who already know and trust me?

Bottom Line: The end of the year is the time to grab your tools and start digging in the drain of your business. Whatever the block is, you might be surprised what getting a little hair out of the way could do for you in 2009.