Changing the outcome

Someone recently e-mailed me one those heart-tugging stories. This one starts: "A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat." Usually, these messages get quickly deleted, but this particular one did not.

Go read it here. Or here or here.

The business librarian in me focused on one particular line in the Moral of the Story category: "Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively."

The man rewriting the sign put a creative spin on the situation. He also recognized that doing things the way it had been done before - using the original wording - wasn't that successful, and the methodology had to change. And of course, the overriding message, which we at the Research Network embrace fully, is that signage matters. A lot.

These lessons seem applicable to any entrepreneur.