Waiting for the Election?

 

Are you really waiting to make decisions until the election is over?  I hear that a lot.  I hear it from my fellow business owners.  I hear it from people responsible for buying stuff and making decisions for their companies.  I hear it and read it almost every day and I don't get it.  For most of us there won't be anything that changes drastic enough for it to really matter. It's just an excuse to put off decisions.  Remember that old adage that you have to try a lot so you can fail enough to find success?  It's true.  And every time we find a reason to put something off we have less time to fail and therefore less opportunities for success. 

 

I challenge you.  List the top three things that will change in your business depending on who is elected.  And then next to those things list what you will do and how long you think it will take to do it. I tried. I can't. I can't even come up with 3 things, let alone determine with any accuracy what I'll do about them and how long it will take.  And you know why?  Because like most of you who read this, I'm lucky to be small and nimble.  My company can adapt to change.  You and your company can too.

 

As a company my job is to help create competitive advantages for individuals and companies.  We do that with offering software and effectiveness consulting.  We will continue to do that and do it to the best of our abilities no matter what.  We like the idea that our competitors sometimes get locked into a mindset of believing that the path will be clearer as the political dust settles.  We like it because we know that it means they are wasting valuable time and falling further behind.  Conversely, we advise our clients to do the opposite. We advise them that there is only one way to continue to grow and prosper and that's to improve their ability to deliver value over and over.  We advise them to work on what they can control day in and day out.  We remind them that outside influences never have as much impact as inside, close to home ones do. 

 

It's popular to talk about how the election will impact commercial real estate.  That doesn't mean it's useful.  It's fun to have conversations at parties and events about the impact of the election on our business.  That doesn't mean it's important.  It's not.  There are way too many factors that affect the real estate market and a change or no change in this presidency will not make much of an impact.  It simply doesn't work that way.

 

Just because our industry relies on drivers in interest rates, inventory and tax implications this election or any election doesn't change things enough for most participants whether you are an investor, user, servicer or provider.  Ok, it won't impact enough to make waiting worth it. And more specifically in this election both Romney and Obama are both saying that rates are going to stay low for quite some time to keep this market moving up and hopefully get us out of these doldrums of the past few of years.

 

So I say, enjoy this election season if that's your style.  Or hate it and wish it was over if that's your style.  But let go of the notion that an election result should drive your business thinking and actions. 

 

Come join our discussion on our blog or I welcome your feedback through email.  

 

Fuller & Son Hardware trades as Fuller & Son Hardware & Lumber at five locations throughout Little Rock, AR.  The hardware stores occupy spaces of 10,000 sq.ft. in strip centers.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout AR during the coming 18 months. For more information, contact Bobby Fuller, Fuller & Son Hardware, 7311 Baseline Road, Little Rock, AR 72209

De Janeiro Stores, Inc. trades as De Janeiro at seven locations throughout NY.  The women's apparel stores occupy spaces of 2,500 sq.ft. to 3,500 sq.ft. in urban/downtown areas.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout New York, NY during the coming 18 months.  For more information, contact Arthur Djamil, De Jameiro Stores, Inc., New York, NY 10170

Bon Worth operates 250 locations nationwide.  The stores, offering women's apparel, occupy spaces of 1,300 sq.ft. to 1,800 sq.ft. in grocery-anchored strip centers and 1,300 sq.ft. to 3,000 sq.ft. in enclosed malls.  Growth opportunities are sought throughout the eastern, Midwestern and southern regions of the U.S., excluding FL, during the coming 18 months, with representation by The Was Group, LLC.  Preferred demographics include a trade-area population of 100,000. For more information, contact Darren Was, The Was Group, LLC, 33 Sicomac Road, Suite 305, North Haledon, NJ 07058