A story on the proverb 'Every cloud has a silver lining. '
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When one is in business, income depends on customers’ support. When there is no more demand for the product or service that one has to offer, then one is in deep trouble. The only option is to re-invent or change to cater for new customers’ needs. This first real-life story was about a small entrepreneur who operated a bicycle shop, dealing with sale of new bicycles, bicycle accessories, and servicing and repairing existing customers’ bicycles. In my location, the common mode of transport during the 1950s, was the humble bicycles. You were in the right trade at the right time then, if you were in the bicycle business. From the 1960s, things began to change. In fact, in this world, everything is constantly changing. It is not a matter of “if” but “when”. If you studied “marketing” you would be familiar with the concept of “product life cycle”, meaning that every product has a life span. After a period of time, the product will be redundant or not in demand. However, this particular product may reappear after a certain period. But the product has a life span at any one time.
The bicycle was no exception. In our location, the product life span of the bicycle started to decline from the 1960s onwards, and by the 70s, the bicycles were pushed aside by the motor-cycles. Coming back to my story; this entrepreneur was in deep trouble came 1960, and the bicycle business gradually lost steam, and by the 70s, no one operated a bicycle shop. Of course, the best and normal option was to sell the newly substituted product, the motor-cycles. So, most of the bicycle shops were converted into motor-cycle shops. Some simply folded up and went into oblivion, being unable to re-invent and adapt to change. The story did not follow that trend for this entrepreneur. He closed his almost empty bicycle shop and contemplated….“Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. Entrepreneurs are a special breed, otherwise they won’t be addressed as “entrepreneurs”, for you see, they are very enterprising, meaning, “characterized by great imagination or initiative for success”. His life’s mission was to earn more than enough to feed his family, and not to cling on to outdated business. Fortunately, this entrepreneur had up his sleeve, a secret product which he had faith in. This product was a traditional herbal ointment made from natural herbal ingredients. The recipe was a closely guarded secret passed down from his ancestors in China. “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”, and in his case, the dark cloud was the demise of the humble bicycle business, and the silver lining was this unpolished gem, the traditional herbal ointment.
Initially, he started marketing his herbal ointment by employing salesgirls on a house-to-house promotion, traversing the remote villages of the whole country. That was his niche market. He brought his product to the target customers in those remote villages where there was no competition. Over the years, he stood his ground and believed in the “silver lining” which eventually turned into a multi-million dollar business today.
The bicycle was no exception. In our location, the product life span of the bicycle started to decline from the 1960s onwards, and by the 70s, the bicycles were pushed aside by the motor-cycles. Coming back to my story; this entrepreneur was in deep trouble came 1960, and the bicycle business gradually lost steam, and by the 70s, no one operated a bicycle shop. Of course, the best and normal option was to sell the newly substituted product, the motor-cycles. So, most of the bicycle shops were converted into motor-cycle shops. Some simply folded up and went into oblivion, being unable to re-invent and adapt to change. The story did not follow that trend for this entrepreneur. He closed his almost empty bicycle shop and contemplated….“Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. Entrepreneurs are a special breed, otherwise they won’t be addressed as “entrepreneurs”, for you see, they are very enterprising, meaning, “characterized by great imagination or initiative for success”. His life’s mission was to earn more than enough to feed his family, and not to cling on to outdated business. Fortunately, this entrepreneur had up his sleeve, a secret product which he had faith in. This product was a traditional herbal ointment made from natural herbal ingredients. The recipe was a closely guarded secret passed down from his ancestors in China. “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”, and in his case, the dark cloud was the demise of the humble bicycle business, and the silver lining was this unpolished gem, the traditional herbal ointment.
Initially, he started marketing his herbal ointment by employing salesgirls on a house-to-house promotion, traversing the remote villages of the whole country. That was his niche market. He brought his product to the target customers in those remote villages where there was no competition. Over the years, he stood his ground and believed in the “silver lining” which eventually turned into a multi-million dollar business today.
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Every Cloud Had A Silver Lining. :
Thick and dark clouds sometimes obstruct the sun. When it happens, the surroundings darken. It is not a pleasant sight. But if we look at the clouds carefully we can see that their edges are tinted with a silvery glow. This glow tells us that the sun is somewhere there behind the clouds. As time passes, the clouds will move off and the sun will come out of it. This clever metaphor is used in the proverb to denote that sorrows and calamities are only momentary. Wherever there is sorrow, happiness will be somewhere nearby. Whenever there is shadow, light should be nearby. And whenever there is darkness, the bright light is near. The proverb teaches us not to lose hope in the hours of darkness and sorrow. It reminds us to be optimistic and hopeful. It tells us not to lose heart because it might be just when we are about to quit that victory reveals itself. Like the silver tint on the edges of the dark cloud, happiness always lurks behind the darkest hour. ‘The famous poet Shelley has expressed the idea in one of his poems - ‘The ode to west wind’ in which asks, ‘if winter comes, can spring be far behind?’
Thick and dark clouds sometimes obstruct the sun. When it happens, the surroundings darken. It is not a pleasant sight. But if we look at the clouds carefully we can see that their edges are tinted with a silvery glow. This glow tells us that the sun is somewhere there behind the clouds. As time passes, the clouds will move off and the sun will come out of it. This clever metaphor is used in the proverb to denote that sorrows and calamities are only momentary. Wherever there is sorrow, happiness will be somewhere nearby. Whenever there is shadow, light should be nearby. And whenever there is darkness, the bright light is near. The proverb teaches us not to lose hope in the hours of darkness and sorrow. It reminds us to be optimistic and hopeful. It tells us not to lose heart because it might be just when we are about to quit that victory reveals itself. Like the silver tint on the edges of the dark cloud, happiness always lurks behind the darkest hour. ‘The famous poet Shelley has expressed the idea in one of his poems - ‘The ode to west wind’ in which asks, ‘if winter comes, can spring be far behind?’
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