Out of the Crisis.Org

[Louis Altazan]

Many years ago, I subscribed to the theory that there was a "cycle of business." A busy time and slower times. Whenever business would slow down, I "knew" it was the cycle, and not anything I had done. This was comforting, but somehow left me with a problem. Old me said, "It’s a cycle, it will pass." But that little voice just wouldn’t go away. "How can it be a cycle, did all the cars in town suddenly just quit breaking?" New-me knew this was ridiculous and just could not buy into it. Still the old me was pretty convincing. I proposed a compromise with myself.

The old me insisted it was a cycle. The new-me countered, "If it is a cycle, then it has to past." The old me sneered, "Yea, so?" I questioned, "Well, shouldn’t we be preparing now, while we have the time, for when it does?" This got me to thinking. How might I prepare? Suppose I bought that new scanner I was looking at last year while we were busy. I have the time now to learn how to use it. Suppose I hired another guy, when the cycle passes, he will be in place, and ready to work?

The old me hated the ideas, but had agreed to compromise. Besides I couldn’t find a flaw in the logic without admitting there was no cycle, and I knew there was. So I let me have my way. I figured I could always sit back and laugh if I failed.

Well, sure enough, business did pick up. And just as sure, I was able to capitalize on much more of it, because of the preparations. Not wanting to admit new-me was right, I sat and bided my time. Each year as things would slow, I would go to work in preparation of busy times. Increased marketing, holding classes for the public, adding on to the shop, adding equipment and training.

Pretty soon, things just didn’t seem to slow down anymore. Now I was forced to try to keep improving, even though I was already busy. What happened to the cycle, I wondered? Old me just couldn’t say, in fact he couldn’t even be found. I haven’t seen that guy in the last fifteen-years are so. I can’t say that I miss him much either.



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Louis Altazan
Owner/Manager AGCO Automotive Corporation
Baton Rouge, LA