(Time to read this Blog section is about 60 seconds)
- Two interesting facts about online dating. More than 1/3 of all marriages in the USA now start with an online dating match-up. Marriages in America between people who meet online are likely to last longer.
- Do you have a ‘story’ that differentiates your business? Every industry and every market is over-served and under-differentiated. There are too many other people selling what you sell. Do you have a story that clearly differentiates your business, makes you memorable and shows why you’re the clear ‘wise choice’ for your target customers?
Korean Airlines wanted to differentiate themselves through their in-flight meals in First Class and Business Class. They went to work and created their own organic farm on an island off the south coast of Korea to produce high-quality vegetables and livestock. This gave them a wonderful ‘food quality’ story to tell.
We learn from stories. We remember stories. We connect with stories. What’s your story …and how will you tell it? Do the work. First you have to be a story…then you have to tell your story.
- 58-year-old business closes because nobody wanted to buy it. For years I’ve been asking business owners, “Are you building a profitable, sustainable business…or have you just bought yourself a job?” Here’s another sad example of exactly that.
Mike Martyniuk, a 78-year-old Winnipeg barber has closed his shop after 58 years of working 11 hours a day. At the end, he couldn’t find a buyer. If you’re a business owner, what are you doing to build value into your business that someone else is willing to pay for.
To access my Business Tool on ‘When selling your business, there are 11 things a buyer is willing to pay for:’ Click Here.
- Too many trucks…not enough drivers. Everything we buy or consume and the raw materials and machinery to produce it travels by truck at some point. Without trucks, everything grinds to a halt.
According to the American Trucking Association there is currently a shortage of 50,000 truck drivers in the USA. And, the average age of truck drivers is 55, so the problems will only get worse. Young people have no interest in a life on the road. Hence the rush to perfect self-driven, autonomous trucks.
- The world’s oldest hotel. The world’s oldest hotel is the 37 room Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan. First opened in the year 705, it has been run by 52 generations of the same family!
When you realize that only about 15% of family businesses make it to the 3rd generation, this is amazing.
