TANSTAAFL and Other Acronyms

If you were alone on a desert island it is doubtful that you would sit around waiting for someone to deliver dinner. Your well being, indeed your very survival, would depend on your efforts. In such stark and crude conditions it is hard to evade the fact that There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (TANSTAAFL).

Our success as painting contractors depends on many factors, but we are the ultimate source of our success or failure. We get to choose what we have for lunch, and then we must be willing to pay for it. We can choose what kind of business we want, and then we must be willing to take the actions that create that kind of business.

Just as TANSTAAFL, TANSTAASBWHW—There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Successful Business Without Hard Work. But it takes more than just hard work to create a successful business. It takes sound business practices (BP). It also takes implementation (I), motivation (M), and perseverance (P). In short, business success requires BPIMP.

It is wonderful to dream big dreams (DBD) for your business. I admire those who aspire to reach new heights. But to DBD without BPIMP is basically just wishful thinking and the belief that TANSTAASBWHW isn’t true.

(Acronyms are funny things. Sometimes the acronym becomes a word as its use becomes more common. For example, both scuba and laser are actually acronyms. But that’s another issue for another day.)

Regardless of the acronyms you choose to use, business success has no shortcuts. TANSTAAFL.

© BEP Enterprises Incorporated 2008