Northwestern Outdoorsman Can Teach You A Great Deal About Your Career
There are not many things out there that are as breathtaking as spying a fish. Some folks enjoy the sport more than others, but all can agree that the pull at the end of the line, the vanishing bobber and the first sight of that scaled aquatic creature all add to the thrill of sportfishing. It was the perspective of this excitement, and more specifically, the need to have a freezer full of Alaskan King Salmon, that a couple of years ago landed me on the banks of Ship Creek in Anchorage, Alaska partaking in a local custom called "urban combat fishing."
Sounds to me like some sort of military survival of the fittest exercise!
"Urban combat fishing" takes its name from the fact that 1) it takes place in the city, 2) it's a type of fishing and 3) it involves scores of fishermen and fisherwomen standing side by side along the side of Ship Creek all competing for the same limited number of Alaskan King Salmon. Sure, there are times when the fish outnumber the fishermen, but this was not the case during my vacation. In fact, while I was out there, only one of the hundreds of anglers within sight of me really caught a Salmon. Now, the first thought that comes to mind naturally has something to do with the "chosen" angler being very favourable. That probably contains some accuracy, but I'm a aithful believer that the harder one works, the more lucky he or she becomes.
The road less traveled. Please, go on.
After coming home from Alaska without any King Salmon and feeling slightly down, I started thinking about what possibly could have made that angler the lucky one to catch a fish. My feeling was that this man was simply in the right place at the right time and that one day I would also be in the right place at the right time. But then, I started thinking about what I would have done had I been the person to catch the fish. Did I research where these fish tend to congregate? Did I know the best type of bait to use in order to charm a hungry fish? Would I have even been able to ably reel in a 30-pound fish in front of an audience of strangers? The answer to these questions is, quite simply, no. Therefore, my lack of preparedness most likely saved me from a potentially embarrassing situation and it unquestionably played a role in me returning empty-handed.
Ok...so what does this have to do with my business?
Super query. Had I, like the angler, been more prepared, I may not have caught a fish, but I would have at least known how to do so if the chance had arisen. This is relevant to metal signs because even though we may not realize it, we, as small-scale business proprietors who publicize with custom , must be just as, if not more prepared than our competitors in order to catch the fish (customer).
You calling me a fish?
Try to remember the number of personalized metal signs you see EVERY SINGLE DAY. You probably see more custom metal signs than you can count, and you MOST CERTAINLY see too many to remember them all. There are, nonetheless, more than likely a few made-to-order signs that you can tell me about. And that, my friends, is no coincidence.
Coincidence?
It's no surprise that you are able to remember some custom metal signs instead of the other nine hundred that you see in a day. That's because whoever the business owner is that configured the "chosen" put in extra work to make her business sign stand out so that you, the potential customer, would remember her custom metal sign instead of all the other custom metal signs. And, just like the angler who studied where in the Creek the Salmon are most likely to swim, so too should the smart small business owner research where her potential customers are most likely to be. A small business owner has to be smarter and more prepared than the competition when designing a custom metal sign so that it will stand out in a sea of personalized metal signs.