Deer or Bust

Filed Under: All Posts, Erin on December 24, 2009

As I awoke this morning to the sound of pitter-patter rain on my skylight, I pondered my husbands decision to get up early to go deer hunting. Ice and impending snow didn’t seem like the type of weather I would get up to go hunting in. Granted, he did at least wait until it was light out to leave, making his travels safer, but his passion is such he was going to go rain, shine, ice or snow.

This got me thinking about passion. He was so passionate that he was willing to tromp out in this weather to go sit in a deer blind all day – just him, his gun, his heater and his coffee. His passion is not much unlike the passion of a business owner.

First, he has an investment in the situation. He recently bought a new black powder rifle to extend his hunting season, and hasn’t shot a deer yet. He wanted to make his investment worth it, not much unlike a business owner who invests time and money into their business.

Second, he needs patience. Not unlike a business, the deer don’t always come to you automatically. In this case, he told me stories of scents and blocks and things this CPA’s daughter didn’t grow up with to attract the deer. This is not that different from marketing your product or service. Sometimes you have to get customers to come to you with an attractive offer. While working the Lincoln store this past weekend, I can tell you that those sampling their products sold two or three times more than they did on any other given day, because they attracted the customers to try their product.

Third, even after the deer has been shot, there’s still a lot to do. Just like when you get a new customer, you can’t just bait them in and then expect them to bite, just like a deer won’t turn itself into jerky. Be sure that once you get new customers that you keep them happy, and give them a reason to come back.

Fourth, after the task has been accomplished, there’s still more hunting to do. If you know any hunter, they’ll tell you that shooting just one deer isn’t enough. Year after year great preparation goes into getting ready to go deer hunting, where they shoot another deer, and then get ready to go out the next year. Many business owners are always looking to the future, and planning for the next year. This holiday season think about what you did well this year and what you should do next year. It’s all about trial and error.

So, next time your husband, wife, son, daughter or friend go deer hunting, think about how it fits into your life. This never-been-hunting wife may never go sit out in a deer blind, but she will learn some lessons from the countless days her husband does.