We have a log cabin in northwest Pennsylvania, about a three hour drive from home. It has been a work in progress for quite some time now and still not completed. But, my husband tries to get up there weekends or takes some vacation time to drive up and continue work on his project. Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, he decided to sleep off his holiday feasting and hit the road for PA early Friday morning for a few days of work on the cabin.
True to his word, our SUV, the family 4 x 4 ‘truck’, pulled into our driveway just before 8 PM Sunday evening. I heard him down in the garage unloading his tools and the usual ‘bag-o-dirty-laundry’ before heading upstairs. Walking into the family room, he held out a somewhat beat up paper plate covered with crinkled aluminum foil. When I asked what he had, he grinned and said: “Miracle pie.” Thinking I misunderstood, I asked him to repeat himself, and again, same answer: “Miracle pie.”
There had to be a ‘miracle’ because pie usually doesn’t make it home to be shared with me or anyone else. My husband has never met a pie he didn’t like. “Nope,” he said, “it actually is a miracle pie because when I loaded up for the drive home, I set it on the roof of the car as I leaned in to put my travel mug in the cup holder.” Once on the road and just far enough out to not want to turn around, he realized the pie wasn’t on the seat beside him. He moaned a bit, assuming he’d left it on the counter back at the cabin.
Continuing his trip home, driving back roads of PA and the Interstate all the way, he even stopped once for gas. You’ve probably guessed by now that the pie managed to hang on the entire way home — on the roof of the car — through hills and valleys at speeds up to ‘at least’ 65 miles per hour. It managed to get itself wedged under the side bar of the luggage rack and hung in there the entire trip home.
Small Business Lessons Learned From a Piece of Pie
“Stick-to-it-tiveness”, plain and simple. That brave little piece of pie could have quit at any time, felt ignored and unloved and just slid off to the side of the road. It could have become dinner – or dessert – for wildlife out there in hunting country.
Instead, that little piece of pie found a niche, wedged itself in and hung on through peaks and valleys of the road home. Finally it arrived safely at it’s destination: a clean plate at our home. Yes, I ate that piece of pie, but with a high level of respect for it. That slice of pie had the determination to hang in there even when things got tough.
I hope you are doing the same with your small business: executing stick-to-it-tiveness through the ups and downs that come with being an entrepreneur. Identify your special niche, then put all your focus and efforts toward reaching your goals. Was there luck involved with that slice of pie? More than likely, but what business doesn’t need a bit of luck every now and then to get through tough times? Planning can help you set sights on a successful future. Then, stick to the course you’ve charted and you can achieve your goals.
