When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery.

What in the world has the 18th century literary figure and essayist, Charles Lamb, to do with internet business development and promotion?

Well, please bear with me. Firstly here’s a highly edited “short version” of his “Dissertation upon Roast Pig” You need to know the basis of the story to understand what follows:-

The swine herd Ho-Ti being obliged to go to the woods left his cottage, with his pigs inside as was the custom of ancient times.

When he returned, he found the cottage razed to the ground by fire from errant sparks, and the smoking sow and her cooked piglets under the ashes. He jabbed the pig to test it for signs of life and burnt his fingers, whereupon he shoved his fingers in his mouth, as one does, to soothe the burn. He was wholly surprised by the delightful taste and jabbed the pig some more and put his fingers in his mouth some more.

Soon the neighbours started to remark upon the regularity with which Ho-Ti’s house burned down. Nothing but fires, sometimes in the morning, sometimes the middle of the day or even at night. At length Ho-Ti and his son were watched and the awful truth saw them hauled for trial, because of this terrible crime against God, to the largest village, Peking. In their defence they presented their jurors with hot pig crackling, with the result that they were immediately acquitted. The judge went home and his house burned down, and now there was nothing to be seen but fires in all directions. Fuel and Pigs became enormously dear.

Ultimately, some sage realised the flesh of pigs might be cooked without the necessity of burning down houses. Although Charles Lamb did not report it, I have it on good authority it was one of his issue who started the trend towards Barbequed Pork Rib Franchises. :-)

And so an internet business building philosophy can be constructed:

1. An apparent calamity may often obscure hidden benefits and progress. When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery.

found the cottage razed to the ground by fire from errant sparks, and the smoking sow and her cooked piglets under the ashes. He jabbed the pig to test it for signs of life and burnt his fingers, whereupon he shoved his fingers in his mouth, as one does, to soothe the burn. He was wholly surprised by the delightful taste and jabbed the pig some more and put his fingers in his mouth some more.

Soon the neighbours started to remark upon the regularity with which Ho-Ti’s house burned down. Nothing but fires, sometimes in the morning, sometimes the middle of the day or even at night. At length Ho-Ti and his son were watched and the awful truth saw them hauled for trial, because of this terrible crime against God, to the largest village, Peking. In their defence they presented their jurors with hot pig crackling, with the result that they were immediately acquitted. The judge went home and his house burned down, and now there was nothing to be seen but fires in all directions. Fuel and Pigs became enormously dear.

Ultimately, some sage realised the flesh of pigs might be cooked without the necessity of burning down houses. Although Charles Lamb did not report it, I have it on good authority it was one of his issue who started the trend towards Barbequed Pork Rib Franchises. :-)

And so an internet business building philosophy can be constructed:

1. An apparent calamity may often obscure hidden benefits and progress. When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery.

burned down. Nothing but fires, sometimes in the morning, sometimes the middle of the day or even at night. At length Ho-Ti and his son were watched and the awful truth saw them hauled for trial, because of this terrible crime against God, to the largest village, Peking. In their defence they presented their jurors with hot pig crackling, with the result that they were immediately acquitted. The judge went home and his house burned down, and now there was nothing to be seen but fires in all directions. Fuel and Pigs became enormously dear.

Ultimately, some sage realised the flesh of pigs might be cooked without the necessity of burning down houses. Although Charles Lamb did not report it, I have it on good authority it was one of his issue who started the trend towards Barbequed Pork Rib Franchises. :-)

And so an internet business building philosophy can be constructed:

1. An apparent calamity may often obscure hidden benefits and progress. When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery.

es in all directions. Fuel and Pigs became enormously dear.

Ultimately, some sage realised the flesh of pigs might be cooked without the necessity of burning down houses. Although Charles Lamb did not report it, I have it on good authority it was one of his issue who started the trend towards Barbequed Pork Rib Franchises. :-)

And so an internet business building philosophy can be constructed:

1. An apparent calamity may often obscure hidden benefits and progress. When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery.

When all goes awry, keep your head. Look for the opportunity.

2. When you have something good going, forget schedules and just do it at any and every chance you get.

3. People are often afraid of anything new, and may be slow to adapt it to their use. Consider new approaches to whatever you are doing. For example, Can an eBook be used to promote your business and your knowledge of your chosen subject?

4. Good things are often the development of a chance discovery. Many a niche marketer will tell a tale of ‘accidentally’ discovering an untapped need.

5. In order to progress, it is sometimes necessary to go against conventional wisdom. How many times have you heard predictions of gloom and calamity from the soothsayers and ‘deadenders’?

6. It is always easier for most people to follow than to lead. Just the same way as everyone wants to get to the Promised Land, but nobody wants to cross the wilderness. It takes courage and determination to be at the front of the pack. This is good. There is a lot less competition at the front then at the back.

7. No matter how original your ideas may be, expect them to be widely copied. Remember to protect yourself with copyright and other legalities.

8. Expect small minded persons who rely on tradition and repression as their power base to oppose you. Petty officials and those who will never amount to anything don’t like to be shown up for what they are. They will try to pull you down.

9. Be prepared for the odd tussle with officialdom. If you are an honest broker, these will normally be of only minor inconvenience.

10. If you make a chance discovery, think deeply about how to fully exploit the potential.

11. Its not necessary to burn your house down to cook a pig. Think about the most effective (and cost effective) ways to achieve your desired outcomes.

12. Remember the basic Law of Economics: Supply and Demand. When everyone wants a particular commodity, expect he price to rise, and conversely, to fall when the market is oversupplied.

Do you think Charles Lamb, the son of a butcher, ever suspected he was demonstrating his grounding in basic business principles?

For those who may be interested, Lambs Dissertation on Roast Pig is reprinted in greater length at http://thewinna.blogspot.com