 Why was my foot suddenly in excruciating pain while I was hitchhiking from Brindisi to Pescara on that sweltering June afternoon back in 1981? I was stumped. We were having a great day up 'til then. Spending more time in cars than on the side of the road. No pain at all. When I removed my well-worn sandal and looked between my big toe and the next one (you know, the piggy that stayed home), something a little familiar was sticking out. I gave it a good yank and removed the culprit. When Peter and I looked at the needle-like stick more closely, we knew exactly what it was...and where it came from.
About a month before my foot-pain incident on the median strip of that Italian highway, we were swimming on a beautiful, secluded beach on Naxos, one of my favourite Greek islands. (Don't make me choose my favourite!) That's the day I stepped on a sea urchin - ouch! I was stabbed but by the next day I was fine! I forgot all about the prickly incident. What I didn't realize - one of the spines had embedded deep into my foot. And it decided to fester out hundreds of miles away and a month later. Maxwell Smart was right...when you least expect it, expect it! This got me thinking about things you do in your business that you forget about completely and then, all of a sudden, up pops a reminder! Like giving your business card to someone at an event and then getting a call out of the blue months later. Or getting a reply from your monthly eNews for the first time from someone who has been a subscriber for years. Unexpected, but unlike a festering urchin spine, awesome. And not random. These are delayed fruits of your consistent labour. That foot pain had a bright side too - it brought back memories of that idyllic Greek Island beach. Doing small things to promote your business on a regular basis can really build that awareness over time. (And anyone who says small things don't have a big impact have never had a sea urchin spine fester out from between their toes.) Discussion Questions:
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The Small Business GuideBlog AuthorKim Houlahan is a marketing consultant who loves helping small business owners improve their marketing. 
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