A Business Lesson from the Three Little Pigs
One of the most important business moves an entrepreneur can do is make sure that their business is grounded upon a solid foundation. Just like a house, a business cannot survive in an unstable environment or on shaky ground. If for some reason an entrepreneur ignores this concept and moves forward to build their business on uncertainty they are definitely setting themselves up for failure and loss. Trust me when I tell you that successful entrepreneurs know the value of beginning your business venture on the grounds of stability.
Interesting enough, when I think of a business’s foundation I think of the story of the Three Little Pigs. I know this concept may seem a bit odd at first; however, after further analysis it makes perfect sense. As many of you already know each of the pigs built their houses in three distinct ways using three distinct types of materials. In the story, Pig number 1 built his house out of straw. Pig number 2 built his house out of sticks. Pig number 3 built his house out of bricks. In an effort to show the relevance between this story and an entrepreneur’s business foundation I will explain how a foundation built upon straw, sticks and bricks is relevant to entrepreneurial success.
A Business Foundation Built Upon Straw
Straw is the material that is left over after grain is separated from cereal plants. Typically, when you think of straw the thought of animal feed comes to mind versus house building. In the Three Little Pigs story pig number 1 used straw to build his house as a protective measure against the big bad wolf. However, the straw was not a strong enough material and the wolf was able to blow it down making the pig’s house irrelevant.
In the business arena the same fate would occur to an entrepreneur that decided to build their business on a foundation made of straw. Straw, without a strengthening agent is a very weak material. The slightest amount of pressure added to it and it will crumble to the ground. The best analogy to a straw foundation would be a business built upon fabrications. Fabrications could be anything from falsified financial statements, defective products, and other deceitful business practices. An entrepreneur that builds their business based on lies will eventually find themselves at the wrong end of the law; which could not only cost the entrepreneur their overall business but their reputation as well. Bottom line, building a business upon a straw foundation will more than likely have a detrimental outcome.
