8 Lessons In Building A Great Business
Courtesy of Elmer Fudd, MSc (masters of silly comedy)
#1 — Have a call to action
“Be vewy, vewy quiet”
Elmer almost always led with this. It was directed at his audience, clear, and memorable.
#2 — Make sure you communicate your “Why”
“I’m hunting wabbit”
He understood that the customer is looking to understand your “why”. Too many businesses worry only about the “what” and the “how”. If you are resigned to being another commodity, fair enough. Elmer was iconic. You can be, too.
#3 — Be memorable
Wascally Wabbits are easy to wemember. Without his quirks and catch-phrases, Elmer would never have had the success he did. Not in catching Bugs… in entertaining new audiences across multiple generations.
#4— Compliance can be confusing
Is it Duck Season or Rabbit Season? The world may never know…
#5 — The market can be worse
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
Poor Elmer, thankfully most businesses don’t deal with quite this level of Looney Tunes.
What Elmer really needed was some help… It was always just him.
#6 — Carrots and Sticks… err Shotguns?
Feedback is critical to success. Carrots can be very attractive. “Boom” Sticks can get a lot of attention. Both are dangerous in the wrong hands.
Align incentives and accountability with care. Your success will depend on it.
#7 — Trying something new… Opera anyone?
“Kill da wabbit! Kill da wabbit!”
Add a little culture, change the look, just stay on message and you are likely to succeed. Although you may feel funny doing it…
It is important to test new ideas.
#8 — Finally, don’t fall for gimmicks
Perhaps the reason never got help is because every time he tried, he fell for another of Bugs Bunny’s tricks?
Elmer may be a poor role model for this one. He fell for every gimmick under the sun. Remember when Bugs pretended to be his gun?
Then again, Elmer was seeking to entertain. Perhaps he actually retained the best help possible given his goals. Determining a gimmick from an opportunity can be tricky, too.
