A lot of professionals take off the week between Christmas and New Year’s. If I were to contact their offices, I would get an answering machine letting me know that their world has stopped until Monday, January 3rd.
A lot of businesses close their doors between Christmas and New Year’s – because THEY have decided that this is the best time for their employees to spend time with their families.
I don’t mind if those businesses do that, just as long as they don’t mind if I am no longer their customer. It’s amazing how businesses that really need the customers decided that a single day (that most people do not observe for the religious aspect of the holiday) should turn into two weeks of pure laziness and stupidity. Amazing.
On January 3rd, you’ll see things come back to life, yet – from my perspective, that’s kind of like searching for a store that sells umbrellas during a torrential downpour.
You have entrepreneurs out there who are gung-ho for the New Year, waiting to spend money on equipment in 2010 (for tax purposes), and yet – all they hear are answering machines…and answering machines…and answering machines.
Why are businesses so “business stupid”?
Well, it’s all about “monkey see, monkey do.”
As someone who belongs to a number of entrepreneurial professional groups, let me give you some advice:
1). Most successful people DO NOT stop their lives for a week (or two). Christmas eve is 12/24 and Christmas Day is 12/25. Eat your food, open your presents, and then GET BACK TO LIFE!
2). Most successful people will intentionally discontinue doing business with entities that decide WHAT holiday will be celebrated, and for how long. NO – they won’t tell you that they are no longer doing business with you for such a”petty” reason, but I KNOW the scoop, and I KNOW how much foolish business practices irritate those of us who have our heads on straight.
I DON’T MIND if that’s how you choose to run your business, just as long as you don’t mind that I will never do business with you again (and will guide others away from doing business with folks who are “business stupid”). I don’t mind if you don’t mind.
Now I know what you’re thinking: You’re thinking that, because I’m not a religious person, and because I don’t celebrate Christmas, that this is just my sole perspective. This is where you are not only stupid, but VERY wrong.
First of all, most successful people (not just wage-earners) recognize that a holiday is a HOLI-DAY, not a HOLI-WEEK…or a HOLI-MONTH. Sooo, after they’ve eaten their meal, watched football, talked about the kids, opened their gifts, and taken a massive dump, they get moving again. They don’t chalk up a week of their life (a full 168 hours…10,080 minutes) to doing NOTHING. That would be…errr…IDIOTIC.
Now I’m not accusing you of being success-minded. I would never do that. I’m just telling you how success-minded people think.
Even retailers are often “business stupid.” They sell a crap-load of gift cards for the holidays, but then let their inventory drop, and allow their better employees to have off, the week between Christmas and New Year’s. So let’s see: You want the recipients who received gift cards to not only spend the face value of the card, but maybe purchase some extra goodies, right? To help that along, you reduce your inventory and reduce your human capital (better employees). Great thinking Einstein!
The idea of selling a gift card (if you’re a retailer) isn’t so someone comes in and uses that card toward the purchase of a large screen television. It’s so they use that card toward the large screen television, AND then say to themselves, “Gee, since I saved $100 or $200 with this gift card, why not go all the way, spoil myself, and add some home theatre speakers to the purchase. But wait – the store doesn’t have that many speakers to choose from…errr…because it’s after the holiday.” Then the retailers bitch and moan about poor sales (LOL).
Here is a HOLIDAY gift for you:
There is no time of the year that people are more plagued with anxiety than between Christmas and New Year’s. People feel compelled to “get their house in order” (so-to-speak) after Christmas, and as a business owner, it’s your O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y to help them. Taking the week off makes you an a-hole. Pure and simple. AND, if someone’s holiday was, oh, three weeks ago, or is three weeks from now, then you have insulted them.
“Oh, but Dr. Marc, everyone understands the Christmas spirit!”
WRONG STUPID!
Actually, as each year passes, fewer and fewer people understand “the rules” of just one religion’s holi-DAY. The lines are becoming blurred, and YES – it is your responsibility to be aware that there are many people celebrating MANY holidays, and many people NOT celebrating any holidays.
More importantly, however, is that you understand that individuals and businesses want to enter the New Year with a bang. They don’t want to wait for January 3rd – when you decide that the tine to be lazy and stupid has come to an end.
One final lesson:
If your belief is that one week, at the end of the year, is the time to spend with your family, then let me be the first to tell you that YOU ARE A SCREW-UP! Your priorities are a little skewed if that’s the only time you can spend as a family. And don’t tell me that it’s the only time. I don’t believe you.
“Duh, we like to put on our Christmas sweaters, go to Starbucks, grab a coffee or cocoa, and walk around town…duh…as a family.”
Really?
Okay, but you need to realize that the business machine is still moving, and if you decide to turn it off, it may decide to turn you off. I don’t mind…if you don’t mind.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc