ETS Tanning Bed Blog

This post is for all the tanning industry business owners out there who may be hesitant or reluctant to try a new marketing strategy or product offering. It’s about a book that’s drastically affected the way I look at and approach both my business and my life – Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson.

It’s a short story, but it’s a powerful one. So powerful that the book remained on the New York Times bestseller list for five years after it was first published.

The story is a parable about two mice, “Sniff” and “Scurry” and two little people, “Hem” and “Haw.” These characters live in a maze where cheese is set out for them. Well, one day that cheese is moved. The complacent “Hem” and “Haw” keep going back to the same place, looking for the cheese. Meanwhile, “Sniff” and “Scurry” decide to venture out, finding new cheese.

Again, it’s a parable, but one that’s really forced me to realize that the world is changing on a daily basis and your market place, your customers, your vendors, and your advertising all have to change with it. So, when the world starts to change, you have to be ready to change.

For example, if your tanning business is down because of the economy, what are you doing to cut costs or raise revenue? If your customers have changed because of economic turmoil, what are you doing to incent them to come in?

Some people in this world are like “Hem” and “Haw,” they don’t move when their environment changes. That’s suicide, particularly in today’s world. You can ask any business owner “Do you feel like the environment around you has changed and has it had an affect on the way you do business?” The answer will be, or at least it should be, yes. The next question should be “So, what are you doing about it?”

And those that aren’t reacting quickly, especially now, in how they do their business, could see some serious consequences.