A Seven-Year-Old Accidentally Diagnosed Why Some Dog Businesses Fail
Yesterday I discovered a new word called:
Pusillanimous.
I was chilling in a café with my sister, supping a vanilla latte, when my seven-year-old nephew, armed with his digital dictionary, piped up.
"Colin, do you know what 'specialised' means?"
I looked at him over the cup. My sister gave a smirk, and I answered him the best I could.
He smiled.
Seconds later...
Pusillanimous.
"Do you know what that means?" he said with a cheeky grin.
"Erm, nope," I said.
"Dumbo," he said reading from the screen. "It means lacking courage or resolution; it describes someone who is faint-hearted, timid, and easily frightened."
I just laughed and flicked a crumb of my shortbread biscuit at him.
A few hours later, sat in my lounge while Emmerdale was on the television (poor Cain), I realised this is actually something a lot of dog business owners, or potential business owners, suffer with.
They are literally lacking in courage, drive, and belief due to a deep sense of weakness.
And because of this deep-seated insecurity, a pusillanimous person avoids trying new things and refuses to shoot for the top, completely paralysed by the fear of failure and judgement.
It goes deeper too.
It gets heightened by social status, looks, and other nonsense.
So let's address this issue right now because, if you want to thrive in your business, listen up.
I have a list of things that don't matter, so stop giving them the time of day, starting now.
Here they are:
- What you actually look like.
- Where you come from.
- Your level of education.
- If you have a deep accent.
- What your parents did, or do.
- How many times you've failed.
- What unsuccesful people think of your idea.
And here's a list of things that DO matter, so let these peck at your brain instead because they will likely help:
- Having the right attitude.
- Building your brand.
- Your Network.
- Taking action.
- Moving forward every day.
- Researching your market
- Being helpful
And here's the main takeaway...
Most people you know, including you, will have spent, or will spend, most of their time focused on the first list.
And very little time on the second, more important list.
Your job is to flip this on its head.
Because that's when you'll start to win and your dog business will thrive.
Want more dog business ideas, marketing tips, customer-getting strategies, and honest lessons like this?