A man owned a small farm.
The IRS claimed he was not paying proper wages to his staff and sent an investigator out to interview him.
‘I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them,’ demanded the investigator.
‘Well,’ replied the business owner, ‘there’s my farm hand who’s been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board.’
‘The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $150 per week plus free room and board.’
‘Then there’s the half-wit. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of whiskey every Saturday night. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally.’
‘That’s the guy I want to talk to …the half-wit,’ says the agent.
‘That would be me,’ replied the farmer.
Maybe you don’t own a farm but your business seems to suck all your effort, time, and attention, to the point where you wonder why? What’s the return on this investment? Or maybe you don’t even ask that question any more because you’re stuck in the habit of being active rather than productive.
If you want to stop being a half-wit about how you’re spending your life, then maybe you want to stop for a moment and re-evaluate the situation. There are plenty of alternatives for investing your time, money and energy that could bring you better ROI. Why don’t you go to a seminar that talks about planning a change? Just so happens there is just such a seminar happening on Wednesday August 11th at 5:30pm. Here is the information and sign up page. http://danceofbusiness.com/drivingir/creating-a-business-plan I hope to see you there.
But meanwhile, please leave a comment about the life of a half-witted business person who you see looking out your window or in the mirror.
Jeri Quinn from Driving Improved Results is an executive coach, management consultant, speaker and author who focuses on communication in her work with executives and companies. She is the author of The Customer Loyalty Playbook, 12 Game Strategies to Drive Improved Results in Your Business. With more than 40 years as a serial entrepreneur.
