Him & Haw, Sniff & Scurry — Finding Your Cheese in the Pandemic
This is the story of “Him” & “Haw.”
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
One day, Him and Haw were in the process of creating an incredibly successful, client-centered, brick & mortar business. Suddenly, the skies went dark and when darkness came, they were briefly afraid. When they awoke the next morning, the news they feared was all over the headlines:
Plague STRIKES America!!
The mandate came only days later and when they were told they had to close the doors of their business; they were temporarily terrified.
What are we going to do said Him to Haw? I don’t know said Haw, but if our customers can’t come to us, then we need to go to them. But we can’t go to them said Him, they’re quarantined just like us! Haw said I KNOW, but what are we going to DO? Him said, I don’t know! Haw said I don’t know either, but I think we should start by asking better questions.
What do you mean said Him? Well, if our customers can’t come to us then “WHO” do we need to become to go to them and “WHAT” skills will be required for us to achieve our goals said Haw!
Him thought about the question for a minute and said you mean to tell me that all we need to do is think differently about “HOW” we want to SERVE our customers but we don’t have to have the “HOW” all figured out ahead of time to do it?
Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying said Haw triumphantly!
Look said Haw, we’ve been in-person for years, speeches, comedy, inspiration, music, laughter, motivation, problem-solving, tears, joy, we’ve done it all! And, you know who else has done it all? Who said Him? TV, that’s who! TV has done all these things remotely for years! Haw then asked “Him” what technology did he believe would allow them to SERVE their customers remotely just like TV?
Oh, I know, I know said Him, it’s ZOOM! ZOOM is the answer!
“ZOOM” said Haw incredulously, ZOOM? The last thing we need right now is a new sportscar said Haw defiantly!
No said Him with an indignant laugh and wild eye roll that was waisted on Haw over the phone. Geez dude, you really do live in a cave don’t you he said sarcastically! ZOOM is a new technological platform that allows you to virtually meet the customer where they are Silly, not a sportscar!
Huh, said Haw.
Are you in front of your computer said Him to Haw over the phone? Yes, said Haw. Go to your email and click on the link I just sent you said Him excitedly, hurry up! Now once the program loads, type this code into the Meeting ID space:
10, 9, 8 ,7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Launch!
Welcome to our new business my friend said Him to Haw with wild anticipation!
Haw sat staring at his business partner on the screen in front of him and he suddenly knew he, his partner, and his family were going to be ok…
Him quietly said to Haw, you can hang up the phone now, were connected!
The moral of the story is, you don’t have to have it all figured out to begin, you just need to begin!
“Begin where you are and such as you are, without aiming mainly to become of more worth, and with kindness aforethought, go about doing good.” -Thoreau
Him and Haw are both fictional and real characters. Him and Haw are from Spencer Johnson’s New York Times Bestselling Book — Who Moved My Cheese.
Him and Haw are also known as (a.k.a) Al and George of Next Stage Communications. Al Jensen and George Gilbert are the Him and Haw of this story. They run a successful business in Las Vegas, NV that otherwise might just be another statistic if they hadn’t boldly decided to move forward without knowing “HOW.”
Faced with the same crisis as all of us, they quickly pivoted and have taken their business not just to a new level, but Global!
Their business has grown in size, scale, scope, depth, and breadth. Virtually, they have been able to SUPPORT their clients in a way that was simply impossible prior to the Pandemic.
“The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Armed with the sudden realization that their business was no longer bound by the four walls of its physical location, Al and George went to work.
By now, you may be wondering what they went to work on and if you’re like most people, you are already asking yourself HOW they did it and once again, I want to remind you that it’s not about HOW but instead about WHO and WHAT.
Al and George asked themselves WHO do we need to become to serve a GLOBAL audience and WHAT skills will be required. Armed with this understanding, they set about creating as much value as they possibly could for their potential clients regardless of where those clients would enter the business cycle with them.
In other words, just as is suggested by the words of Thoreau, they chose to begin where they were with the intention to SERVE and not aiming mainly to become of more worth. Because of this philosophy and their willingness to meet their customers where they are on their own individual journey, they have created a multi-tiered, multi-faceted business model that is now serving wildly successful and raving clients across the globe.
Why take the time to write and tell this story you might be wondering?
It’s simple really, I have learned from both Al and George that if I focus on helping others and meeting the needs of my reading audience with Inspiring and Uplifting messages, people are more likely to be interested in my work and my goal of empowering my clients and customers to understand my core belief which is:
“Hidden within each of us is everything we need to achieve anything we can imagine.” -Bobby Kountz, Author of THE SOMEDAY SOLUTION
This story was inspired by Spencer Johnson. You can find Al and George at www.nextstagecommunications.com and you can reach Al directly at al@nextstagecommunications.com
If you would like to follow my work, you can find me on Twitter @bobby_kountz on my website at www.bobbykountz.com or right here on Medium.
Keep Pedaling, Keep Going, Keep Growing!
Advance Confidently!
