What business entrepreneurs can learn from a broken headphones

The other day one of the earpieces from my headphones died. It was a sad day… I couldn’t hear the music as I used to. Some of the bass sounds were gone, and something was amiss. The melody was incomplete, lacking that special something, dulling the sounds and losing the rhythm.

And I started to think…

Have you ever wondered how, sometimes, you’re so overwhelmed by everything else that you don’t pay attention to the music that is playing? You only pay attention to it whenever something doesn’t work. At that point, you feel lost, sad. And unable to change right away – after all, how many headphones do you have on you?

The same happened to Brekkie, our local baker in the past year: she realised that although the bakery still exists, part of the music was gone. She searched it but couldn´t find it. She wanted immediate solutions, a quick fix, but she needed to walk a thousand paces to get to the next store and fix the headphones and bring the music back.

Brekkie promised herself that in the afternoon she would get the headphones fixed. However, she got overwhelmed preparing the dough for the next morning, checking the register, finding out new recipes that could earn her more income, talking to customers…at the end of the day, she was exhausted. Glanced through the window, to the city with red skies, where nobody talks to each other and everyone is in a hurry. Brekkie always wanted the bakery to be a social place where people would smile. It would be the place that would change the red skies and the ‘busyness’ everywhere. Yet, she was now engulfed in this busyness.

With a sigh, she closed down and goes home. That night, she couldn't sleep. The music was not playing as it should, she still wanted her bakery to be something else for the clients. She wanted to hear the harmony and see the change. Without having slept, she went out of her home and started walking. She thought about the different things she could do from the bakery: put in more tables, create a humorous banner to welcome clients (surely that will put a smile on their faces?), convert the space into an urban garden, invite neighbours for a cooking day with children, get a local apprentice…. She finally entered the repair shop. The technician changed a cable in one of the earbuds and the music was vibrant and complete again.

And with her headphones on, Brekkie started her day by marking her calendar for the cooking day, removing the weeds for planting, and talking to customers about her plans ahead. Dolly, one of her old customers was really pleased. Those were all good ideas. Dolly would help spread the word.

Just as with the headphones, the music has come back to Brekkie. Her bakery has its purpose, and she is making an impact on people, the planet, and her own purse too. When businesses are disconnected from their purpose and overwhelmed with all the “must-dos”, they lose part of their essence.

Reconnect with your business essence and find out where you can have an actual impact. And go for it, all you need is that first step!

For the second step, I’m here to help.