CHC - Colon Health Counts

Let's face it. Sometimes the bad outweighs the good. Business is down, customers are unhappy, employees are disgruntled and the checking account is filled with red numbers. Stack up enough of those days and you to think about packing it in. You start listening to those who say your business wasn't a good idea anyway. Before you give up, think about Colonel Sanders. Colonel Harland Sanders was a businessman just like you, but he refused to ever give up on an idea he thought worthwhile.

The Colonel retired in 1955, at the age of 65, after spending most of his life in the food business. His retirement income was $105 a month from social security and he quickly learned he couldn't live on that paltry sum. Despite a couple of failed businesses in his life, he decided to try again with his famous chicken recipe.

At a time when most people say they are too old to work, Sanders set out to sell his idea to restaurant owners. He wanted them to buy his special chicken coating recipe and he in turn would get a nickel for every piece of chicken they sold. He began his sales journey in his old car,

often sleeping in the back seat as he crossed the country, because he was, in fact, broke.

Colonel Sanders walked into the first restaurant and the manager told him no. So did the second, the third and well beyond. Sanders called on 1,098 restaurants before he got his first yes from a restaurateur. After two years on the road, he had only signed five restaurants but he wasn't deterred because he still believed in his product and believed in himself.

The rest of the story is history. Kentucky Fried Chicken became one of the biggest restaurant chains in the U.S. with more than 600 stores nationwide. The Colonel sold the chain for millions of dollars in 1964 and continued on as a spokesman for many years thereafter.

When business seems hopeless, think of Colonel Sanders. Remember it's never too late to persevere, to believe in you, to look for new ways to do things, to keep on going!

About the author:

Brian Grinonneau is the general manager of McMann & Tate Advertising, a midwest agency that insists its clients tell their story like it has never been told before.

Written by:  Brian Grinonneau

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