Let's make some Lemonade

Good luck finding a business owner who is running the exact business today that he or she was running when the company opened.  Over time businesses tend to evolve due to leadership, economics, interest, necessity and (yes!) even mistakes. 

I saw this Geico commercial the other day and realized how relevant it is to me as a business owner. One could take away how successful Geico's commercials tend to be as a marketing tool, but that is not why this commercial is à propos. Take a look and see what is relevant to you.

When each of us hit an obstacle (or mistake), we have some options.  We can switch to panic mode and become essentially ineffective. We can start over. Or we can learn from it and carry forward. If the marketing campaign is a bust, if you lose a big client, or if your newest product isn't selling - Take those Lemons and Make some Lemonade.

In our video example, the architect of the pyramids made lemonade. Instead of starting over when he realized his mistake, he moved forward and finished the structures. Now, they are one of the Seven Wonders of the World (Obviously this is conjecture, but it makes for a good example).

My final thought is this: some of you may feel like everything is running smoothly and you have no lemons. Congratulations! Now take a deeper look. Find ways that you can tweak this or that to accomplish the goals of your business. In my experience, it is better to grow your own lemons than to be handed them out of the blue.

Everyone Needs Motivating

I am not one of those people who can spout quotations and even remember who said the important statements. My husband, on the other hand, remembers such an odd assortment of quotes from movies, songs, speeches, etc. that it blows my mind.

That being said, when needing a little entrepreneurial motivation this week, I decided to hunt for some quotations from some of the world's finest.  Here is my top ten list.  Don't forget to like us on Facebook or connect on LinkedIn!

1) You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong. – Warren Buffett

2) We generate fears while we sit. We over come them by action. Fear is natures way of warning us to get busy. – Dr. Henry Link

3) Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf

4) Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. -Thomas S. Monson

5) One finds limits by pushing them. – Herbert Simon

6) The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. – Carlos Castaneda

7) Even if you are on the right track, You’ll get run over if you just sit there. – Will Rogers

8) You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills. – Jim Rohn

9) Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. – Dwight Eisenhower

10) It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers. ― Gordon B. Hinckley