Clever Fox Blog

Times have certainly changed. I remember how I used to run excitedly to greet the postman and collect the mail straight from his hands when I was a kid. With many of my older siblings living abroad, I used to scan the envelope to see who had sent us news, where the stamp was from, and marvel at the “pretty ones” I did not yet have in my collection.

With the internet, I now keep in touch with my friends and family via emails. Excitement isn’t the word I’d use to describe how I feel when collecting the mail from the postbox now, as they are generally computer generated bills.

There’s one exception though…I do enjoy opening one bill. They come from one of my suppliers in South Australia. But here is what is different about the bills he sends as opposed to the other bills I get - he always attaches a personalised handwritten note. The last one said “Kathleen, thanks for the business. Hope all going well in Vic. Beautiful weather here.”

A simple, but nice touch. His service stands out because of the level of personalisation. For a small business, goodwill and rapport counts for a lot. Not only is it a good way to brand your business, it creates a personal relationship with your customers. Wouldn’t you do business with someone you liked personally who also delivered a good service?

Making the transition from full time employment to business owner isn’t always easy.

For starters, you are not going to have the security of a salary coming into your bank account.

On top of that, you’ve got to do more than just “your job”. At the beginning, you probably have to do almost everything yourself – from being the CEO of your company to the mail delivery person.

A client of mine who has made the transition from full time employee to budding entrepreneur said, “Sometimes I wonder if I should keep on going! There’s so much to be done, I’ve got to make tough decisions and I have no guarantees whether this would even work.”

But every time the doubt factor sets in, she somehow manages to overcome them and her resolve to keep on going becomes stronger.

I believe it’s because she isn’t doing this in a naïve manner. She’s taking the right steps. She’s doing something she loves. She’s got a team of consultants she uses to provide the necessary insight and skills sets she doesn’t have. She’s researching information and refining her business plan. She’s becoming a more savvy business person.

She doesn’t know if her business will be a massive success yet. And she won’t if she didn’t continue making informed decisions and taking the next steps.

There’s a memorable scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where Jack Nicholson’s character makes a bet that he can lift a heavy sink to break the windows and escape the mental asylum. His character tries with all his might to physically move the sink. But it is impossible. As he walks out of the room, all eyes staring at him he says “But I tried, didn’t I? Goddamn it, at least I did that”.

To make your business work, you’ve got to try a whole set of different things. Success will always be out of your reach if you don’t.