The Downside

One of my mentors, Professor Keith Hafner of Keith Hafner's Karate, told us once that the worst number in any business is the number one. If you have only one of anything, especially anything critical, then your business could fail with the loss of that one thing. How many businesses have gone under because they served only one client (or even, to some extent, one industry)? I'm sure a lot of the automotive suppliers have been feeling that pain for a while now. Have one vendor? You'd better be willing to pay whatever price he demands. And what happens to your company when the one guy who knows the "secret sauce" gets hit by a bus?

I tell ya, I'm feeling the pain.

Oh, I'm not really suffering much from any of the above maladies. The one that is causing me pain is more along the lines of the common cold. In fact, it is the common cold. I caught it last weekend. Nothing particularly serious, just sniffles and a cough and an overpowering need each afternoon to take a two hour nap. Guess what, though? I have clients who still want their work done and, looking around, I'm not seeing anyone who can jump into my seat on a moment's notice. Sometimes being chief cook and bottlewasher ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Am I complaining? Not really. I do enjoy the work, even when I'm a bit under the weather. This is just one of those things that most people don't consider when they think of the "glamorous" world of the entrepreneur.

So, for now, I'll get as much rest as I can, get my vitamin C, and just keep plugging along. Tomorrow will be soon enough for the glamor.

So, what areas of your business suffer from the number one?