A Good Idea is a Good Idea, In Good Times and Bad

A Good Idea is a Good Idea, In Good Times and Bad

Here we are, the first Buzz of 2009, and it seems like the right thing to say is “Good riddance, 2008.” Funny thing is, it seems like the beginning of that year was brimming with optimism, in stark contrast to the end.

It now seems like so many people and businesses are in the process of pulling in their horns. After all, things are bad and are likely going to get worse, we read. Hunker down, they say.

Just today we read a news report that Iron City Brewing of Pittsburgh is laying off 25 to 30 workers, representing 25 per cent of its workforce. And this is definitely not the first such story we have read regarding the brewing business.

So, what do we do here at Yukon Brewing? We start spending money on something new: distilling.

We have equipment currently being built that will allow us to use our existing brew kettle for double duty – boiling wort during the brewing process and boiling off alcohol as the second step in the distilling process (known as stripping).

The reason we are doing this can pretty much be summed up in one of the marketing newsletters we read, one put out by Roy Williams.

His point of view is that there are seven steps to hunkering down.

These include staying scared (call it being street smart), cultivating cynicism (call it straight talk), praising pessimism (call it a reality check), believing that you are wiser than everybody else, feeling superior, taking no action that might improve your position and then crowing “I told you so” if things get worse.

His recommendation instead is to pursue your dream.

Know what you are trying to make happen and expect that to occur. Plant seeds of good things daily and expect those seeds to grow. Measure success by your own criteria and make progress daily, without fail. And above all, believe in the power of ELBs.

That, by the way, stands for “exponential little bits”.

The power of compounding is amazing. Take an idea and grow it by one per cent, per day, every day. At the end of the year, that one per cent, per day, will take the starting idea and make it nearly 38 times larger than it was.

Exponential little bits.

The same is true if you turn that around, however. Take an idea and diminish it by one per cent, per day, and at the end of the year the idea is now less than three per cent of what it was.

So, we are going to ignore those torpedoes and go full speed at an idea that we have cultivated now for a couple of years. And, we are certain that there are others in the Yukon, both in the personal world and in the business world, who are doing exactly the same thing.

Hopefully this Buzz is not too full of Pollyanna gobbledy-gook about thinking positive. It is not meant to be.

It is meant to be a kick in the pants for everybody to not create a negative environment and then be satisfied if they land there.

Prophesies have a way of self-fulfilling. Make your personal one upbeat.

This column is courtesy of the Yukon Brewing Company, an organization that is positive that it is positive.

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top