I made these 4 business mistakes during an adult Easter Egg Hunt (spoiler: this guy did a lot better!)

My family and I live in a town called Twinsburg, which is well known for the world’s largest annual gathering of twins and a springtime Adult Easter Egg hunt through a forest.

Each year, hundreds of adults run through the woods; some years through snow, some years through rain, always through mud, looking for eggs containing anything from free pizza coupons to overnight B&B stays. 

So, we put on headlamps and carrying flashlights, count down from 10, and sprint off into the woods like we’re 9 years old.

This year? I found 0. My backyard neighbor found 7. 

Last year? I found 0. That $#@#%* found 8.

The year before? I found 0. He only found 3, but I think he wore a blindfold that year.

Wait! Correction. I found ONE that year!!! 

So, in three years, I’ve found a single egg. (That free pizza was delicious by the way.)

Here are the business lessons I thought as I drowned my sorrows last week.

1.     I only went halfway

There are two successful strategies (from what I hear, anyway!). Hunt close to the starting line while everyone runs past, or sprint to the end of the forest to get there first. I ran as far as I could, got tired, and instead of resting for a moment and running again, I stopped and started looking in the middle with everyone else.

What’s the business lesson?A lot of companies end up in the middle, becoming one of many. You wind up competing on price, or some intangible declaration of your “great customer service.” Maybe you’re different at the margins, but you’re basically the same as everyone else. And if you don’t have an army of salespeople to break from the pack, you go unnoticed.

There’s a reason the company who innovates and creates a truly new offering is winning. They’re the only one doing it and they have a head start. And there’s a reason the last guy repairing grandfather clocks is winning. The market changed but there are still people who have grandfather clocks. When you’re one of a few, and you're at either end of the spectrum, you get to proactively chart your course instead of reacting to others.

2.     If your don't execute, nothing else matters

Not wanting to come back with a goose egg (pun intended), I doubled the number of flashlights I had carried this year. None of it mattered. I didn’t run far enough. That was that.

What’s the business lesson? It’s not always about trying harder. If the strategy is wrong, doubling down, at best, won’t work. At worst, you go backward, and those steps can be expressed either as opportunity cost or real financial loss.

3.     Once I stopped, I didn’t look down

When I began searching, I looked ahead and not in front of me. I consistently scanned 10 feet in front instead of behind the tree to my left or inside the hollowed-out tree to my right. 

What’s the business lesson?I’ve written about this before. In the screening business, there are SO MANY opportunities to make money and increase profits without spending a ton of cash, changing your technology platform, or beating up your vendors for $0.25 a county. 

It’s human nature to feel we’ve maxed out on everything we’re doing now, and future gains only come from the next thing. 18 years in this space tells me otherwise. The most money, right now, Is Right In Front of You! And you don’t have to break out your checkbook. Your processes, your policies, how you communicate, how you persuade, how you forecast...

I’ve seen CRA’s implement a single change that delivers a six-figure return with no increase in staff, client complaints, client defections or compliance risk. You just have to think differently. 

Not what is. What can be.

4.     I forgot where I was going

As I traipsed aimlessly through the woods, I lost my starting point. Which meant I had no idea where I was going, where I just was, or where I started from. And I started to beat myself up for not knowing. I either spent 30 minutes zigzagging or walking the same circle 10 times. Beats me. 

What’s the business lesson? It’s extremely easy, over time, to lose our compass. We see it all the time on this site. Every day, our competitor’s partner with others, invest with others, they roll out new products or rebrand existing ones. And some of these are impactful to them, for sure. But the truth is, not all are truly impactful to the industry or challenge your competitive position. 

But we see it and feel left behind. We feel insecure, less confident about who we are. It’s a normal feeling. You don’t have to wear blinders to the world around you, but if you spend your energy playing catch up and copying every shiny idea, it’ll really knock you off course. 

One of the hardest things as an owner or operator is to think differently about how to run the business while at the same time staying true to your value and position in the marketplace.

As for me, I have some trees in the backyard, so I think I’ll practice for next year. 

But for now…I’m definitely better at finding criminal records than Easter eggs!

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Kevin Bachman is The CRA Doctor, a background check executive providing financial, strategic and operational counsel to owners and senior management. He also helps employers create optimal screening programs and find the right CRA to fit their needs and budget. He is also available for speaking engagements and onsite training sessions. Kevin can be reached at [email protected] or 216-509-2108.