Consequences

Our fish and chip shop

While we know that planning ahead is what we all should do, the reality is that many people don’t like thinking beyond the here and now. If they are having a good time, the future doesn’t matter – except it does.

I was in the queue at the fish and chip shop the other day (no lectures, please; we are allowed the occasional treat) when a young male drove his car down the street with his music system blaring so loudly the shop window shook. A fellow customer remarked “My wife is a nurse dealing with deaf people and she will be looking after him in twenty years time”.

We know that if we don’t market all the time, our business will run out of work, yet some only do it when business slacks off. There is an even worse sin…

I read in the local paper this week that a bus and coach company has gone out of business because their main customer (for which I read “only customer”) a local education authority has not renewed its contract and has gone elsewhere. The owner did not look old enough to retire, whatever age that might be, but was naturally feeling sorry for himself. Yet it seemed to me the business failure was all his fault.

• The consequence of playing very loud music in your car and at home is that you WILL go deaf.
• The consequence of relying on one customer or having a customer who comprises a large part of your business is that one day you will lose that customer and your business will very likely fail.
• The consequence of not planning for the future of your business is that it WILL fail.

It’s quite simple. Why do so many people just not get it?