I once knew a man who sold hotdogs. He had inherited the recipe from his parents, made each one by had and used to sell them on a busy street corner for 25¢ each. At the end of the day he took his earning home, paid his bills and reinvested the balance in his business.
Because people loved the man and his hotdogs, sales grew quickly. One day the man had saved up enough to build the restaurant of his dreams. It was located at the same corner where he sold his first hotdog 20 years ago. Now the man could sell his wonderful hotdogs all day, and all night long. To ensure he could sell all the hotdogs he produced, he advertised.
Everywhere.
All the time.
And people came from miles around to buy his hotdogs.
On the day the man’s oldest son left for college, the man who sold hotdogs stood in front of his beautiful restaurant and cried.
One spring morning six years later, the old man’s son returned from college, looked around, then sat his father down. He explained to his father that there was a war on, that people were not spending money the way they used to, and that the recession, which was projected to follow, promised hard times for almost everyone. His son told him to stop wasting his hard-earned money on advertising.
No more TV, newspaper, radio or outdoor billboard ads.
And no more big search lights on the roof all night long. O.K. Dad?
All that shit has to stop right now.
The old man thought; “My Son must be right. He just came back from college where he studied business, marketing and economics for six years. What do I know? I’m just an old man that loves to sell hotdogs.”
That night the big rooftop searchlight was turned off for the first time in 20 years.
The next day all of the advertising contracts were cancelled.
And the next week sales fell for the first time in 30 years.
Each night when the man who sold hotdogs went to bed he thanked God for his many, many blessings; especially for the safe return of his son and his amazing business foresight.