The once was a man who lived by the side of the road and sold hot dogs. In fact, he sold very good hot dogs.
He put up highway signs telling people how good his hot dogs tasted. He stood by the side of the road and called out, “Buy a hot dog, mister?”
And people bought his hot dogs. They bought so many hot dogs, the man increased his meat and bun orders.
He bought a bigger stove so he could meet his customers’ demands. And finally, he bought his son home from college to help out in the family business.
But something happened. His son said, “Father, do you not watch television, or read the newspapers? Do you not know we are heading for recession? The European situation is unstable, and the domestic economy is getting worse.”
And the father though, “My son is a smart boy. He has been to college. He ought to know what he is talking about.”
So the man cut down his meat and bun orders, took down his highway signs, and no longer stood by the side of the road to sell his hot dogs.
His sales fell fast overnight. “You’re right son,” said the father, “We certainly are in a serious recession.”
Soure: “What I Didn’t Learn At School But Wish I Had” - available for free from http://learntoberich.com.au/free_products/free_ebooks.php
What I learn’t from this story is you should not always listen to your friends and family if you are trying something different. Just because you think somone is well educated and smart doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about. All your decisions should be based on doing research and investigating all possible outcomes. Looking at the facts of the situation and not make a decision based on emotion is the best way to decide what you should do. This story is based in USA and the European market was the one in recession, not the US market. The father thought his son was right as he stopped all his marketing efforts and his sales declined.