Sink or Swim

There are many days when a business owner is forced to sink or swim. When things go your way, it’s easy to survive. We all know that things don’t always go as planned and we are faced with many tough decisions.

On January 24, 2017, Fiona the baby hippo was born at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. She was premature and weighed only 29 lbs causing the zoo to think she may not survive. When I visited her at the zoo, she was blowing bubbles (out both ends) and thriving. When the odds were stacked against her survival, she not only thrived, but she exceeded everyone’s expectations. Small, but mighty. Early, but right on time.

Early in my business, I had my share of sink or swim moments. I’m still learning every day. I had one instance where I had to pay a large invoice and wasn’t sure if I was going to have enough to cover it. A retailer gave me a second chance with better shelf space and I received a check for almost the exact amount that was due. Some may call that luck, but I choose to call it hard work combined with a will to succeed. I was never going to give up. I was determined to swim. Here are a few things that will help us persevere and SWIM:

1-Refuse to lose-It’s more than just not giving up. It is fighting tooth and nail for what you believe in. It’s picking up the phone and not letting fear keep you from calling the CEO of a major billion dollar corporation to get that second chance.

2-Go the extra mile-It’s more than just working hard. It’s grinding it out when your competition is creeping in. It’s finding people to believe in you. It’s not taking no for an answer. It’s refusing to settle for anything but what you know you are capable of...and then pushing for 20% more.

3-Focus-It’s understanding what your foundation is and sticking to a plan. If you need to sell more to make it month to month, then that is what you spend your time doing. I’ve never heard any CEO say, “I think we need to sell less product this month.” Sales enables you to grow, develop, market, and explore new innovations.

Now let’s get out there like Fiona and swim, swim, swim! We’ve got a long way to go and the business world will provide us with many challenges. If we choose to swim instead of sink, the possibilities are endless. Let’s find our inner Fiona and fight the battle head on like a hippo!