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The Mouse That Hung On
August 12th, 2014
by Bill Boyajian

26038257_sRecently I found a tiny mouse in my swimming pool, delicately balancing himself on a hose connected to my pool cleaning devise.  Most of the time when I find a mouse in the pool, he’s dead; but this little guy was different.  He was smart enough to grab hold of something when he fell in.  He managed to survive – with a little help from me, of course.  I put on a rubber glove and pulled him out of the pool to safety.

But this encounter reminded me of how many of us are just hanging on in business or in life, often waiting for someone to throw us a lifeline.  I see this a lot in both my consulting and my speaking.  We know we need help, but resist (or even resent) getting the help we need to pull us to safety.

Don’t be like that.  Be different.  Be willing to admit it when you need assistance and do something about it.  If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always gotten.  And that won’t move us forward, let alone save us.

So the next time you see a mouse, or a bird, or any creature hanging on for dear life, ask yourself if that could be you.  Then do what is unnatural for us humans.  Admit you need help and ask for assistance from someone you trust.

 



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“I needed help orchestrating a succession plan for our business. I had heard that Bill Boyajian specialized in assisting owners to transition their business to the next generation. He knows how to bridge the generation gap and deliver what each needs to hear. I would recommend Bill to any business owner who needs advice on succession planning from a trusted outside professional.”

–Charles Denaburg,
Managing Partner,
Levy’s Fine Jewelry
Birmingham, AL

"Our family needed some guidance on business transition and succession planning. We asked Bill Boyajian to help us because we knew we could trust him to tell us what we needed to hear. Bill became a valuable resource for our company and our entire family. He has the ability to meet each of us where we’re at and it has served us very well."

–Ceylon Leitzel
Leitzel Fine Jewelry
Hershey & Myerstown, PA

“We needed a plan to transition our business to a non-family member and we asked Bill Boyajian to help us. His experience in the area has really paid off, but we didn’t expect the added value of putting us together with a financial planner who helped organize our retirement needs. We now have the fundamentals to transition our business successfully, and we have Bill to thank for it.”

–Ernie & Debbie Cummings
Kizer-Cummings Jewelers
Lawrence, KS