Guest Voice - Maybe it’s time to sell your soul

Art Parkerson

"Sell your soul." This concept grabbed hold of my brain recently, and continues to hang on. What started as a clever turn-of-phrase has evolved into something much more. But first, a question…
 

Which of the following best describes your strategy for "post-recession" survival?

A. Be conservative. Don't panic; think it through! Be slow to change. Wait as long as you can before making decisions. Hope things return to normal soon.

B. Hustle. Strategy? Forget strategy. Move! There's no future if the short-term isn't taken care of first. Chase every piece of business that moves. Slash prices; grab the cash.

C. Sell your soul. Things are so bad...maybe it's time to sell your soul!

D. Exit. You shut down the business…but you better act fast before your life savings are wiped out.

I think the correct answer is "(C) Sell your soul." Sound kind of desperate? Here's why it's your best choice if you want to thrive, not just survive, in the post "Great Recession" economy. Consider the same question, with the same answers, only phrased slightly differently:

Which of the following best describes your strategy for "post-recession" survival?

• Be conservative = Starve to death.
• Hustle = Prostitute yourself.
• Sell your soul = Be uniquely you.
• Exit = Quit.

Safety first. When things raply change, you must assess which change is fundamental, and which is temporary. You can't afford to react to every bump in the road; you must chart a steady course, undistracted by the unessential.

The cost of over-reaction is steep: sudden death. But the cost of slow reactions can be equally fatal; it just takes a lot longer to run out of gas than to fly off a cliff. If your business is running out of gas—out of cash, customers, inventory, investment—then your conservative approach is a sure loser.

If "safety first" is your motto, you'll ultimately find your safe resting place. What will they carve on your tombstone?

Anything to make a buck. Sales are down? Slash prices. Overhead is too high? Lay-off some more employees. You have an opportunity outside of your realm of expertise? Act like you know what you're doing. Your customer's customer tries to buy direct? Let's hope nobody notices.

These are all probably the wrong decision, but the hustler can't see the long-term implications. If your motto is "anything to make a buck," then you're basically a prostitute in a business suit. If all you do is hustle, you will inevitably compromise yourself.
 

Quit. Nobody wants to be a quitter, but it may be the wisest choice for you. Set your ego aside and look at the real meaning of business and life. Face the hard facts without emotion and decide how to proceed with the difficult process of dissolving a company or a division of a larger enterprise. Look at the risk of waiting too long to quit, and find help and support from others.
 

Sell your soul. It's time you stopped selling stuff—the products gathering dust on the shelves or the billable hours on your time-sheets—because the value you create isn't in the stuff so much as it's in you. It's in your soul, that which makes you uniquely you. Your soul is your most valuable asset. It's of infinite worth, actually! When I say, "Sell your soul," I don't mean compromise your values. Quite the opposite. Understand what lies at the soul of your business and your life…and stay true to it. Live it; don't fake it. Put it out in the open; tell your story. Having a soul isn't good enough now. You need to sell it, transparently and honestly.

The essentials of business never change: people want quality goods at fair prices with thoughtful service. But these days people want narrative and connection. Your customers don't want cheap stuff nearly as much as they want to do business with a company that confidently expresses its soul. This concept is more than just a play on words; it's a radical shift in thinking about value in the marketplace. Your soul will be your most valuable asset in the new economy. 
 

Art Parkerson is owner at Lancaster Farms in Suffolk, Va., and the moderator of Open Hort (www.openhort.com).