I had a cat. Actually, I hosted several of Michigan’s most pampered felines at our research center for products such as Tidy Cat and Kitty Litter. All they had to do is eat, play, sleep and do what cats are supposed to in the litter box.
It’s tempting for an entrepreneur to dump a bunch of money into advertising to tell the world about his new product. And though I agree that it is important to spread the word, a ton of great ads won’t help if your product isn’t front and center on the shelves where people can buy it.I learned this right from the start with my Kitty Litter, which was a totally new concept back in 1947.
That’s one of the warnings my Grandpa Huber always gave me, and I’ll wager you heard something similar as you grew up. As a teen-ager, I was pretty smug, and Grandpa’s caution was well deserved.But we can be just as vulnerable to egomania as adults. It’s easy for entrepreneurs to let success go to our heads, especially if you build an idea into a prosperous business. The “bad old days” fade like a cheap curtain.
Think back to when you launched your business. I doubt whether you dashed out and did it on a whim. You probably considered and reconsidered a million different areas: your product or service, your market, your competition, how to get money and what could go wrong.
When I was growing up, there was this old man who lived just outside town. When strangers asked directions, he unfailingly replied, “Mister, all roads lead to Cassopolis.”