Does Positivity Work?

[Waxman]

Did pessimism and a bleak outlook ever do anyone any good?

Maybe if everyone, including me, spent more time on positive thoughts and well-intentioned actions and steps forward, we would create changes that benefitted us, even in admittedly tough times.

I feel the same feelings everyone else is feeling these days, but after a few days in a down mood, I can bounce back and take a few more steps.

One bright spot for me is that I am becoming much more effective at controlling costs and increasing operational efficiencies through energy and materials conservation. I'm also taking people like Steve Okun's (and others) advice to offer aftercare services at the carwash, as well as a website and other marketing ideas.

What about you?

 

[Red Baron]

What's the use, the sky really is falling.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I was positive that this year would end in the crapper, and it did!

 

[MEP001]

I would have to force a positive outlook on myself, and I doubt that would be healthy. On the other hand, I don't fret much about things I can't control like the economy and weather. I suppose if you're naturally the type of person who can see the good in things or people, it would be easy to have a positive outlook.

 

[Red Baron]

Sheesh guys, I was just kidding.

My perspective on these things comes from a slightly warped angle. When you wake up in ICU with tubes inserted in every orifice, defying medical prognosticators that told family members to prepare for your demise, it's a little easier to not sweat the small stuff. The economy is the small stuff. Trust me, if you have your health, the economy is the small stuff.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I tend to be a worrier. At this point, I have to make a conscious effort to make sure I stay sane. It doesn't help that I haven't seen the sun in 30 days. I am thinking about getting a tanning membership

 

[Tom Thumb]

My wife and I volunteer time to work at "kids World" here in Orlando and all we have to do is see and make contact with these kids and knowing their condition we leave everytime thanking god we have our health and family and that gives another reason to look forward to tomorrow.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season.

 

[robert roman]

Being an entreprenuer is never easy. Almost every small business owner experiences cyclical, even wild, swings in business from time to time. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

I don't believe this recession is quite as bad as what we went through in the 80's. The problems may seem worse now because we are a service-based economy and the tools used to make course corrections when we were a manufacturing-based economy are not working as well. Regardless, I can assure you that the entire country is not going to become a bunch of pennyless curmudgeons.

Controlling costs and increasing operational efficiencies is always a smart thing to do but this does little in terms of bring sellers (operators) and buyers (customers) together, marketing does.

If you are feeling pain, I suggest that you take a few steps backwards and evlauate your business model in an objective and unbiased manner. For example, is there anything you can do to better reach your customer base? Is there a way to change your business model to better serve your existing customers or expand your customer base?

Generally speaking, most business owners will find some practical ways of improving business performance by answering these two questions. This approach has worked well for many of my clients.

Hope this helps.

Bob Roman
RJR Enterprises - Carwash Consultants

 

[rph9168]

Good advice. This is a good time to take a look at your business and look for ways to improve performance and the way you operate. The danger I see is trying to broaden your base by adding an additional profit center and losing sight of what is important. Several members of the forum have mentioned ideas for opening another center at their wash in an effort to increase revenues. Make sure any addition to your business does not draw you away from your focus on the wash or create more problems for you.

 

[Waxman]

RR

Great points. That's just what I'm doing; looking at all costs while expanding my services and market area.

The new services are express detail; a nice, mid-range price point between carwash and full detailing. I have a marketing plan in progress now.

I live a few towns away, so expanding my market will involve a marketing effort in that town to try and draw from a bigger geographical area.

I really appreciate your input.

 

[Greg Pack]

Gazelles that are overly optimistic are taken by the lions. The pessimistic ones, the ones that run first and fastest, live for another day.

Properly tempered pessimism is a useful tool.

 

[Waxman]

Animals actually are ego-less and therefore live solely in the moment, without the brain constantly dragging their mental attention back into the past or projecting it forward into the future. They are neither positive nor negative; they just ARE.

The gazelle isn't being negative about life and running from a lion; it is surviving and adapting, in the present moment, to its environment. If you mean we would do best to adapt like them and live in the moment like gazelles and other animals, then I can agree on that point.

 

[bigleo48]

My 2 cents.

I never try to be too bubbly or too down...I never make any big decisions unless I am balanced and sober, and I do not have a gut feeling that I've missed something. Really listening to your gut is harder than you think...it takes a certain amount of maturity.

The other thing I have noticed as I am getting older (BTW, that's not me in the picture...but I do like the odd beer), is that my moods swings were getting more pronounced. In the last six months, I've been taking a Vitamin B Complex every day and it has almost completely eliminated my mood swings. I have found this to really help me stay even and make better decisions. I'm really surprised that it works so well!

But getting back to Waxman's question...I don't believe in being an optimist, but a realist.

BigLeo

 

[pitzerwm]

Whether you believe that you can or you can not, you are right.

If you know that life is a war and that you will win, then the day to day battles are realized that you win some and you lose some.

 

[Waxman]

I get down only in spurts. It seems that as soon as I shift my thinking from "oh, this is too hard, there's not enough of x,y or Z" to "man, I'm thankful for x,y,z, I bet I can make $$ with this idea or save $$ with that idea", a day or 2 later good things come along. Maybe good fortune can be created through hard work, a healthy dose of tempered optimism and not sweating the small stuff.

This has been a good thread with lots of interesting and diverse opinions. Thanks! I have enjoyed it and I got alot from it; even the ideas I originally disagreed with.