Make Hay While the Sun Shines
by Stuart Livesey
Now that’s an old saying that’s probably been round for many centuries and it’s certainly one that’s always stuck in my mind. My maternal grandparents were wheat farmers back in the day when horses pulled the equipment so I’m sure that saying was firmly embedded in their minds too and it’s a saying that should be etched into the minds of every small business person today.
And if you don’t understand that saying then let me suggest that it’s all about working hard when the work is there whether it’s on a day you would normally work or not.
The weekend that’s just gone was a long weekend here in Queensland and in a tourist centre like Hervey Bay, where we live, that means three days with plenty of tourists about. Now here in Hervey Bay most tourist related businesses - especially the cafes - have been doing it tough for the last nine months. The weather hasn’t been the best, interest rates and increases in petrol costs have all combined to keep tourists away but last weekend the weather was incredible and the tourists came in quite decent numbers.
On Monday every cafe along the tourist strip was packed with customers all day … that’s every cafe but two. Two of the smaller cafes … cafes that have been a little short on customers lately … remained closed and missed out on that bonanza.
Of course, they’ll be open today when all the tourists are long gone .
I guess the lesson for all small businesses is that we need to be prepared to work when the work’s there.
Toni and I worked right through the weekend too; we had planned on taking a couple of days off but early on Saturday morning one of our overseas clients contacted us with some urgent work and we wanted to make hay while the sun was shining … so we worked.
