Business Lost In The Eye Of The Storm

As I write this article, there is a big, bad boy named Ike churning towards me at 12 miles an hour. As far as hurricanes go, this one is extremely large. The storm itself appears to be wider than the state of Louisiana , meaning that the damage from flooding and wind will be astronomical. As it moves north of us, all of the moisture it drops to Earth will run south, to already flooded areas. Right now it is six o’clock in the evening, September 11th 2008. I am on the north side of Houston, Texas watching the gridlock on the roads right outside my windows, brought about by mandatory evacuations ordered this morning. The lines at the stores are extremely long, with water and bread already sold out. Some of the gas stations are out of fuel as well. By sometime Saturday, about 5 million people will be without electricity, anywhere from 3 to 8 days, hence the urgency in finishing this article. After this hundred plus mile an hour beast passes through here, and we get electrical power back, I will write a follow up article about the aftermath.n I know what you are thinking, Ray, why are you writing this now? It is because great business minds can find opportunity in the worst of places during the worst of times. I’m not talking about profiteering or price gouging. I’m talking about finding a way to work for the common good as well as adding dramatically to your bank account. I went to a fast food restaurant this morning to get breakfast and had a conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be the manager. Her pay is based on the performance of the store, with bonuses that can range from three thousand dollars all the way to five thousand dollars. They also have a plan where the manager of the best performing store in a district earns an incredible trip. Knowing this I told her she needs to rent a generator truck for the store so she can stay open while everyone’s electricity is off. People will get tired of cold sandwiches and start to look for hot food.n The manager and all the employees will be stuck at home with no air conditioner and no hot water. There is no where to hide and no where to go, so you might as well be at work, performing a service for your customers as well as guaranteeing a huge bonus and trip for yourself. I tried to explain the opportunity to her but she could not get her mind off the fear of the storm, so like everyone else in this area, she will be sweating in the dark eating cold food and complaining about how the storm is costing her money. It saddens me when I see people fail to see the path to good fortune, no matter how well it is lit.