I was worried about competition to my small business when Red Monkey dropped in to say hello but all his frivolity didn’t cheer me up.
“I’m glad to see that you doing something constructive toward your small business but you sure look down in the dumps. What’s chewing you up?”
“With things as they are now, more small businesses are opening doors and competition just seems to be increasing.”
“Oh no. I thought we were going to have some fun. I’d rather be up in the trees eating berries and feeling safe than he down here with you in your gloomy mood.”
“It’s not that I’m afraid of competition but it just means that I have to keep working hard.”
“Well, you’re speaking to the wrong animal. What I know about small business is probably dangerous if not insane. But one thing that I do know is you always going to have competition. Look at me in the jungle. If it’s not you humans trying to capture me and my fellow Red Monkeys, then it’s other predators who will eat me up for dinner if I give them half a chance.”
I thought you were safe up the end the forest rooftops?”
“It saves most of the time up they but remember I do have to come down from time to time to search for insects and other tasty mortals. Then I’ve got it be very careful. You never know what’s lurking around the next tree.”
“You’ve given me a great idea. I need to do something that keeps me up play at the forest roof top way out of reach from my competitors. But what could that be?”
“You humans sometimes complicate things. Why do you think I stay up they in the forest rooftop most of the time? It’s because I’ve got everything I want. Juicy berries and fruits. A Red Monkey couldn’t last for more.”
“That’s it. You’ve got to, as a small business owner, have something of value that others want but other small business owner not offering. I’m always amazed at your wisdom Red Monkey.”
“Like I told you, I know nothing about small business. All I know about is enjoying myself in the jungle.”
“It seems like the jungle has many lessons for us humans and especially entrepreneurs who wish to survive in the human jungle.”
“Next time I come around, I hope you will have done something about it. It’s one thing knowing that you need to create superior value to stay out of harm’s way from your competition but it’s quite another to come up with ways to create superior value. I guess you’ve got to put on your creative thinking cap and think how you’re going to do it.”
“Well, I guess the are several ways to create value…”
“Enough. That’s enough for one day. I’ve got a get back into the jungle and up to the trees. Before night falls. See you around small business owner.”
The Red Monkey Tales is an occasional series that looks at business and other topics in a light-hearted way instead of monkeying around with mumbo-jumbo from ill-advised business advisers, talk show celebrities who have become entrepreneur expurts and other strange and wonderful small business gurus.
