Speaking simply with Sandra Sampson

Exmouth Journal: Sandra SampsonSandra Sampson (Image: Sandra Sampson)

Moving house, along with divorce are considered to be some of the most stressful times in our life. My husband and I recently moved house, a very big decision after 25 years living in my previous home. This was also compounded by the fact he has cancer and was undergoing some serious treatment during the move. We could have decided to stay put as the stress of it all was going to be too great. But we shifted our mindset to think of how exciting it will be in our new home. We knew that moving after 25 years of storing stuff was going to be a massive challenge but we looked at this as therapeutic, discarding and sending to charity items that we had not used or looked at for the last couple of decades.

Our attitude to moving was all about the benefits it will bring and that is what got us through it. Attitude is infectious and by maintaining a positive attitude we present to both ourselves and others a disposition that is purposeful strong and infectiously motivational that others can buy into. The problem is most of us naturally focus on the negatives in any particular situation.

The young are instinctively great risk takers for they have no fear as they experiment their way through life getting to know what hurts and what doesn’t. The older we get the harder this becomes and in business this is just the same.

Sampson Hall works with businesses to optimise success and when discussing ambition we use a theory which we call the “thin cat to fat cat theory.” Let me explain, when you start off in business you are hungry and have little to lose so you are prepared to take risks and do things in extraordinary ways, it is only as you develop as a business that you suddenly have more and more to lose that you become more risk averse. As a “fat cat” you take few risks, you are not hungry for new opportunities but inevitably you will end up letting your competition out pace you. As you sit there believing your empire, however big or small, is invincible. This is just what has happened to some of the bigger high street names that have fallen victim recently and not just because of Covid! The secret is remaining a thin hungry cat, always looking for that next meal and that next opportunity!

A fine example of a local business who have adapted their business is Dart Fresh - a third generation family business founded and run by the Pritchard family. - who provide wholesale fruit, vegetables and dry goods to schools, hospitals, restaurants and pubs. But when the first lock down impacted they quickly realised that many of those businesses would be unable to trade during lockdown and their core offering would suffer. So, they morphed into a very successful retail delivery business offering next day home deliveries based on the same standards of customer care that had given them such a great reputation in the wholesale world. They looked forward positively, kept many people employed and in work and have helped many to “stay home” during these difficult times.

I know there are many other businesses that have survived and even flourished because of their positive forward thinking. Click and collect has become a great outlet for goods. Face masks sales have had a roaring trade and garden centres and DIY oriented shops have never had it so good.

So, when you are confronted with an issue don’t look at it from a negative perspective start visioning the amazing impact the resolving of the issue will have on your life. Do not bemoan the situation seize the advantage. I love the line “don’t sit on the pier waiting for your boat to come in swim out to it.”