I read this story on the Flying Solo forums and have permission to post it here.

At a previous job we used to get the windows professionally cleaned every fortnight. It was done by a large cleaning company and we never really had any issues. They did the job and we paid the bills.

One day a young man walks up to the receptionist and asked if we wanted a quote for cleaning the windows. He wasn’t overly well dressed or overly well presented. He was reasonably clean and tidy though. Looked like a young man who might be a hard worker and could do with a little luck.
He gave a good price and so we accepted (after going through all of the corporate halabaloo!).

He turned up every fortnight, cleaned the windows and we paid the bills.

As time went on, he started to improve. Had a better car, improved his uniform and I assume was getting lots of other work.

He started with a squeegee and a bucket and ended up with a great little business.

He had a simple thought, but the most important thing was, he acted on it. Went out there knocked on doors and asked if people were interested in his service.

I believe it was Woody Allen who said “Eighty percent of success is showing up”.

This was posted by Ray Smith. I think this is a good lesson for every business mum. Often we have ideas and sit on them for ages and do nothing about it. Before we know it, someone else has come up with the same or similar idea.

So, for all of you with an idea - get out there and start!

I received this in an ezine last week:

There was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs.
He was hard of hearing so he had no radio.
He had trouble with his eyes so he read no newspapers.
But he sold good hot dogs.
He put up signs on the highway telling how good they were.
He stood on the side of the road and cried; buy a hot dog, mister?
And people bought.
He increased his meat and bun orders.
He bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
He finally got his son home from college to help him out.
But then something happened.
His son said, “Father, haven’t you been listening to the radio?”
“Haven’t you been reading the newspapers?”
“There’s a big depression.”
“The European situation is terrible. The domestic situation is worse.”
Where upon the father thought, well, my son’s been to college, he reads the papers and he listens to the radio, and he ought to know.
So the father cut down on his meat and bun orders, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand out on the highway to sell his hot dogs.
And his hot dog sales fell almost overnight.
“You’re right, son” the father said to the boy.
“We certainly are in the middle of a great depression.”

This is definately food for thought for all of us. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks to Karen from My Beechworth Secretary for including this in her eZine.