Saturday 20 November 2010 at 1:11 pm
Hello. Hi, I would like to order a pizza to pick up. Sure, what would you like? I would like a large pizza with meatball and thin crust. Is this Tom? I said yes, but this was no surprise to him because it was part of my routine.
Wherever we have lived for the past thirty-five years of marriage, Friday night is date night and pizza night. Sometimes we go out other times it is takeout. I am a loyal customer and the restaurant can set their clock by me. In fact, one week we were away and the following week they told me, they missed me.
This past Friday I was telling the owner/operator again how much I loved their pizza. The chef greets me by name. He tells me my pizza will be ready in a few minutes and do I want something to drink while I wait.
I ask the owner how's business? She told me they will be closing in a few weeks. I was not that surprised as I had noticed a drop in customers the past few months on what is considered a customary date night but I was sad as she explained their circumstances. The work was hard she said 24/7 and what made it worse was they were losing money for months and could no longer sustain it. Who could I thought as she turned to take care of another customer .
I then asked the chef what is going to happen to him. He said I am staying to the end. We used to have seven people in the kitchen and are down to just two, my wife, and me. If I left them now they would have no one. It would kill them. I'll be okay.
I knew right then why I liked him. I would hire him in a minute. I told him to let me know where he goes. He said don't worry you will still get good pizza. I smiled, but I was concerned don't forget that is why I go there. I can eat cardboard pizza but when I find exceptional pizza, I am insanely loyal. They needed more customers like me. They have been in business for four years and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 50% of small businesses make it past this mark. They are part of the half that won't.
As I left with my pizza I wondered how things would be different if they were a business too big to fail.
Sunday 07 November 2010 at 5:14 pm
Our friends took us to see the musical "Leap of Faith" staring Brooke Shields. It is a musical adaptation of the movie under the same name staring Steve Martin. I like Steve Martin and loved the movie so I knew what to expect. We enjoyed the musical version but there was one young man in our row who was disappointed that the script did not resemble much of anything written in his Bible, which he held in his lap. He kept muttering under his breath "that's not in the Bible."
For most people, the phrase "leap of faith" is associated with accepting Christianity. However, while "leap of faith" has its roots in religious beliefs it also applies to the scientific world where a new idea requires believing in something that is unproven. You know by taking a leap.
I just finished reading a great business book I recommend for anyone with entrepreneurial tendencies. It is Getting to Plan B by John Mullins & Randy Komisar. They state that every business proposition has some holes. Beliefs you hold about your product or service where you don’t have any real evidence to support your position. They recommend taking a leap of faith by testing your beliefs. Experimenting with different alternatives to prove your case or refute it. If you are interested you can see Randy Komisar talk about this on YouTube in an interview he gave The Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs.
Some of the early origins of leap of faith are actually thought to be a leap to faith. For me, it is the opposite. Leap to faith is actually faith to leap. Thus, are you a person of faith? Whether you are evaluating your own spirituality or a business proposition, it requires trusting without proof. However, the proof comes as you believe in a person, an idea, a thing, or a divine being.
Over the past several months I have been developing a new idea that some are calling an invention. In fact, it has lead me to take a leap and file a Patent Proposition. I am believing in something without knowing whether it is true or not. However, there is no way of knowing without taking a faith leap. Do you realize that new ideas come from old ideas? After all, the word innovation comes from the latin word innovātus, which means to renew.
The premise behind Leap of Faith, the movie and the musical is a story about a fake Christian faith healer who travels around the country defrauding people of their money through phony miracles. Eventually, he is exposed but the confrontation leads to a reexamination of his own faith and doubts.
Whatever doubts you may have about your spirituality, business or otherwise, without faith you cannot leap.
