In today’s post we discuss the remarkable image of a weasel flying on a woodpecker’s back and relate it to the business world where you need to be in the right place at the right time when making important decisions.
Picture: Martin Le-May
An amateur British photographer became famous recently when he captured the extraordinary image of a green woodpecker flying through the air with a weasel on its back. Martin Le-May took the once in a lifetime shot at Hornchurch Country Park in east London on Monday, March 2, 2015. He explained that it was completely unexpected as he was just out walking with his wife when he came across the two creatures. He only noticed them because the woodpecker was squawking in distress as the weasel was trying to attack him. Le-May happened to have his Canon EOS 70D with him and managed to take the photograph at the perfect moment. He assured everyone that neither creature was injured during the attack as the woodpecker was able to land safely and the weasel ran away into the grass. Le-May uploaded the wildlife photo to Facebook and was astounded by the reaction. It was viewed more than 1.5 million times on Buzzfeed and retweeted several thousand times. It even has #weaselpecker memes. John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Madonna and President Putin have all been photoshopped into the image. Le-May, who works as a project manager, claimed that he has never had a picture published before, apart from a few images posted on Flickr.
This event clearly demonstrates how unpredictable life can be. One minute you’re just an amateur photographer and the next minute you’re an instant Internet sensation. You must always be ready to seize great opportunities as soon as they come your way. This applies to every profession. In the dynamic insurance industry, you have to be able to make a smart business move at the perfect time. PwC’s 2014 survey shows that 71% of insurers are already changing the way they make big decisions. Instead of relying on old methods, they’re using new sets of data that provide them with greater detail about changing consumer preferences. They’re applying enhanced analytics to the decisions that matter most to their agencies, including how to respond to technology advances and disruptive business models. 23% of insurers revealed that they plan to follow suit and make these changes in the near future.
Unfortunately many insurers tend to leave the most difficult decisions until the last minute. I have worked with many clients who were unsure for many years about the best time to sell their businesses. They came across great opportunities during the boom but weren’t fully prepared to let them go. Then in the midst of the recession, they were forced to sell for a much lower price as illness and other circumstances forced them to retire early. My advice is find out the value of your business and then aim to increase it before you put it on the market. Sukay & Associates has the necessary knowledge and skills to predict the most opportune time to sell. We can guide you through this process and make sure you are in the right place at the right time to get the best deal possible.
We get most of our clients because of the actions of our competitors. They are always telling our prospects that “this is the perfect time to sell.” In most situations, we tell our clients that they are not ready to sell. The first step in the process is to get your agency ready for the process. We have blogged many times that every company should be managed as if it is going to be sold. The reality is that this situation rarely occurs. The second step is that it has to be the right time for the owner. There are clearly times when the multiples go up and down. Regardless, if the market is high and the owner isn’t mentally ready to sell, it is never a good time. Most of our engagement last 12 to 18 months. Many of them have lasted longer. We have had several that have lasted less.
The date of the sale depends on the client, not on the need of the advisor to generate some income. Make sure that your advisor is focused on achieving your goals, not theirs.
Picture: Martin Le-May
