The Beginnings of Succession
August 5, 2008
Recently, while in Albany, NY visiting mom, I was riding my bicycle past a roadside “lemonade stand.” The two pre-teens running the operation called out to solicit my business. Their dog barked a serious “keep your distance.” I thanked them for their interest – young entrepreneurship should be encouraged – and kept pedaling. About 100 feet up the road, I thought, “they need the business and the sale,” and went back for my drink.
It turned out they only had bottled apple juice, but the portion was hearty. There was a calculator there to record the sale and a sheet to track their number of sales. They were also quick to silence the dog. They did not, however, have change for my dollar and so it was a more expensive drink than advertised on their sign, but well worth it
I have no doubts the stand will be gone when I return and the dog will be back guarding his house. I suspect the kids succession plan was to earn enough from the stand to make some big purchase and move on. Still, they got a taste of entrepreneurship. The exhilaration of the sale; the weariness of daily operations; selling apple juice when there is no lemonade; being effective but not necessarily efficient; relying on their voice to callout to the customer, “here I am.”
And what will they move on to?
– John works with entrepreneurs and leaders who want to master growth, transition and succession to get results faster, less painfully and in ways that work for them. Contact John at: 1-800-726-7985 or e-mail to: johnr@getresults.com
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