Yes! You Can Have Too Many Pillows
I can hear you already, “C’mon! what the heck does that have to do with business?”
If your couch is full of pillows, where do people sit? Go for purpose, not pillows.
A story I heard, years ago, was about a startup looking for a second round of funding. Their first Investor was left sitting in their spacious lobby. Not being one to waste time, he was making calls and booking other meetings while he waited. A pillar caught his eye. He took a harder look. He asked the Receptionist if that was real gold on the pillar. She proudly proclaimed, “Yes, it is, and on the front of my desk, too.” The spacious lobby, the full-time Receptionist, and the gold leaf were all “pillows”, paid for by his initial investment. He stayed, but not to discuss a second round.
A manufacturing company had some small, outdated equipment and parts in a corner. The Office Manager was tasked with decorating the lobby. When I suggested using some of the old equipment and parts as decor, she almost yelled, “It’s not a junk shop!” She was shopping for expensive art and pretty furniture. The old equipment was a history of manufacturing processes and a waste of shop floor space. They were paying for “pillows” instead of making use of available resources that would resonate with their customers. The Operations Manager replaced the art with giant gears.
Keep your purpose in mind when you take out your checkbook.
