Catch Jim’s 4-minute podcast at https://youtu.be/gkS55sFPvI4
or read his transcript below:
A TINTED TALE
Pretend that once upon a time you open your own business, right here in your own village. Of all the things that can go right or wrong, here is just a sample of one small item, one thing that influences your daily life. There are others!
First you lease a space that contains great big windows. The idea is that the glass will give you the feeling of wide open spaces, accessible at any time. The view will allow potential customers to feel comfortable.
Then you find that the sun is blindingly annoying at certain times of day. Customers complain, you yourself complain.
You sally forth to install shades to cover up those windows. The view is temporarily hidden. You intend to re-open the shades once the sun moves on.
Later you realize that the shades are now a habit, remaining in place because nobody thinks to go and reopen them. The only sunshine apparent is provided by bleached-light fluorescents.
Given a chance to re-design the structure you inhabit, you make sure the windows are tinted so that curtains won’t be needed, so that you can still see out and passersby can see in.
What you find out too late is that you can’t really see the clearness of day. From inside, the world appears overcast. From the outside, your place looks deserted, even when it isn’t.
Besides, newfangled windows are also not openable or closeable because air conditioning precludes the need to feel and breathe fresh—or stale—air. That also means that when the AC goes down or the power company takes a break, there is no relief to be found from a raised window.
One day, you notice that other businesses have this problem.
When you pass an eatery with heavily tinted windows, you hesitate to stop because there are no customers to be seen, no lights on view…you assume the place is closed and that somebody forgot to switch off the OPEN sign.
Instead, you select a place that looks active and vital—and sunshiny. And untinted.
Which brings up the profound question, “What are windows for, anyhow?”
Oh, sure, you can keep the windows curtainless and untinted, but even then, things happen. A vendor convinces you that you’ll make lots of money placing a new display in front of the window where all that unused space awaits. After a while, passersby only see the back of a colorless display and, once again, inside the store it is dark and eerily lighted by those ever-present fluorescents.
So, this tinted tale is about to end. The lessons you have learned about business visibility and customer satisfaction leave you wondering how you would design a business locale from scratch, should you have the opportunity.
Probably won’t happen, because all those other tutorials need to be attended to. I could go on.
The good news is that each lesson learned is a lesson that can be shared with others about to embark onto the land of entrepreneurship. Some will ask you for advice.
On the other hand, many others will do exactly the same thing you and I do. We ignore all wisdom emanating from well-wishers. We ignore because the actual act of creating a new and viable work of art and commerce—your own business—makes you temporarily insane. You want to start your venture to prove to the world and yourself that you know better, that you can navigate without any outside intervention.
Even if you don’t even know what a rudder is
Jim Reed © 2021 A.D.
Weekly Podcast: REDCLAYDIARY