by Debra Arbit
When I first started doing business consulting, I somehow was under the impression that when people paid me actual United States Dollars in exchange for solutions to their business problems, those solutions needed to be complex. Multi-layered. Something they could never figure out for themselves. God forbid I should give them what has been termed in the industry as a Band-Aid solution. That would not be worth their hard-earned money. You don’t pay a consultant for a Band-Aid, right? Not so fast.
Much like people like to use the phrase “that would be like using a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound” when they suggest an overly simple solve to a systematic, business threatening problem, the same could be said about why it would be crazy to amputate your left index finger because you have a deep paper cut.
Bottom line, sometimes a Band-Aid is exactly what you need. Here are five reasons you might want to seriously consider a Band-Aid solution before overcomplicating your problem and calling in a neurosurgeon for what might just be a minor headache.
- They’re cheap. If you go to your nearest Walgreens, you can probably pick up a box of Band-Aids for less than five bucks. Now, unless you have toddlers who like to use them as stickers, that box could potentially last you through several months of minor injuries and issues. Compare that to the last doctor’s bill you received. Bottom line, Band-Aids are good for the bottom line. And sometimes, especially if the issue facing your business was unforeseen, they are all you can afford.
- They’re temporary. Band-Aids can come on an off as you need them. They are a great solution in the midterm while you wait to have enough time, money or capacity to employ a better, more permanent solution. Don’t have the time to completely revamp your website today? Just change the critical pieces that need changing now. Sure, it may not be the prettiest website on the block but you might be surprised how long those Band-Aids will stick while you make a smarter, long term plan.
- They are readily available. You can find a Band-Aid almost anywhere. The aisles of Target, online, I mean I could probably find you 3 different sizes in the bottom of my purse alone. Band-Aid solutions are usually pretty easy to spot and ideally, even easier to implement. This should be something almost anyone on your team could help with from the intern to the admin. You don’t need a task force or quarterly check-ins. Just a person willing to take the time to brush the gravel off of your wound and stick the solution on roughly the right place.
- They allow you to get the important work done. Think about the last time you had a blister. I’m a person who has given birth to three live humans and yet, I still find blisters on the back of my heel after wearing pumps all day to be one of the most unique forms of torture known to man woman. Enter Band-Aids. Slap one of those on (maybe even one of the fancy blister-blocker kinds) and you can refocus your energy where it belongs. The actual “injury” isn’t always the main problem but rather a giant distraction from what really needs to get done.
- They come in many shapes and sizes (and even colors) Sure, back when Band-Aids were invented in 1920 (coming up on 100 years!), I’m quite sure that they probably came in one color and maybe one or two sizes. Luckily for us, we live in 2019 when there are aisles full of them. Small problem? Small Band-Aid. Bigger problem? Bigger Band-Aid. The best solutions are flexible to fit different needs at different times.
Next time your company is faced with a business problem, take a minute to decide if you need to spend time and money on a complex solution or if what you really need lies no further than a simple washing of the wound, wiping of the tears, a brave face and a stick of a Band-Aid.
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Debra Arbit is the founder and lead strategist at Athena Strategy, a company dedicated to helping women-owned businesses with strategic planning. She spent the last decade buying a business, growing it and successfully selling it while getting married and having three kids in rapid succession. It all seems so simple in hindsight, doesn’t it? Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
She is incredibly passionate about helping fellow female business owners utilize their innate mindsets instead of censoring them. Debra is always thinking, strategizing, and leading, but in her personal time, she’s busy running after her three kiddos, going down internet worm holes, and snuggling with her ridiculously fluffy dog, Daisy.
Find Debra on LinkedIN -> Personal LinkedIN or Business LinkedIN.
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