Articles
The End of an Era
Click here for a FREE PDF of this article
One door closes and another door opens!
Do you buy that? Are you a believer? Ever been there?
When changes occur and you’re left with a whole new life - a whole new set of circumstances.
Last Friday, many local newspapers ran a story reporting that the buyer of my former business was throwing in the towel and selling to my longtime, former competitor. Although neither company confirmed, nor denied the rumor, according to the newspaper, I have reason to believe it’s true. I happen to know the new buyer fairly well. I have no doubt that the surviving locations will be in good hands.
But the story (and the resulting emails and calls) brought me back approximately 30 months to when I sold the business to a private equity firm. As I read the online article, I imagined I would hear from a few people whom I hadn’t heard from recently. Yep! A college buddy wanted to know if I was personally (and financially) affected by the news (NO!) Others wanted to know how I felt. Was it bittersweet? Was I expecting it from afar? Did I consider it the end of an era? Just what did I think? Some mentioned that they were afraid to talk to me on Friday. Like I was in mourning or something!
To be sure, I realize that the name Sam’s will be no more in the beverage business. Is that troubling? A bit; after all, my grandfather Sam started the business. My Dad worked his butt off to support my family. In short order, the new buyer will most certainly replace the old signs with new signs – and a different logo. The uniforms will change and the phone will be answered differently. Sam’s will go away, and while sad, it doesn’t bother me as one might think. Reminds me of the local sports radio host that lost his job. “Big wheel keep on turning,” was his response when listeners called in to condemn management’s decision. What a great attitude!
Anyway, my strategy for handling this was and continues to be pretty simple – and may be applicable to changes occurring in your lives, now, and in the future.
From day one, I threw myself into my new career. Was it easy in the beginning? Absolutely not! I felt terrible. I countered by firmly concentrating on the future. As time went on – I spent more time appreciating the strides I was making and less time missing the thought of what I was missing. The same will be true for you.
You can do the same in the face of change or adversity.
You can own your happiness. In the beginning, I felt like a victim. See - as is the case in many family businesses – it became time for our family members to branch out on our own – to put it mildly. Although I loved the business (and cared so deeply for the people I had brought in to the company), I felt the time was right for me to try something new and harvest the fruits of my hard work. Perhaps, I thought, our best retail days were behind us…
But I felt like a victim because I missed my people. I missed the routine I had known for so long.
Then I starting writing and planning for the next chapter - if you’ll excuse a terrible, terrible pun. I took responsibility for the next step; for handling the change and for being happy. Owners take full responsibility for their happiness. Victims blame circumstance, and seem to always be lost in unfortunate circumstances. Victims blame others. Owners take accountability.
Owners own their response to any given situation. You may know that you can only think one thought at a time. It’s either a happy thought or the opposite. It’s our thoughts about our circumstances that dictate how we feel, which may explain why the rain makes some people happy and other people unhappy. Same rain – different reactions.
Next time things aren’t going so well, try shifting your mindset. Use your thoughts on the good, not the bad. See the positive sales calls, not the ones that ended poorly. Concentrate on your personal and professional successes while learning from the other situations. Don’t slam the door on the past – but don’t set up shop there either. It is far more productive to concentrate (and plan) for the future. That’s what I do.
Is every day a good one? No, but most are better than you think. Come to think of it, Friday, despite the news, and a tinge of sadness, was actually a pretty good day!
