At 09.00 in Memphis, Tennessee on what would arguably be come to be recognised as the day that modern Supermarkets were "invented" a company called Piggly Wiggly opened the first ever self service grocery store.
The format became so successful that by 1932 there were 2660 stores throughout the USA and even Toyota gave credit to the Piggly Wiggly retail concept when developing its "Just In Time" supply chain - as opposed to the famous British Leyland "JTFL - Just Too F------ Late" concept that was developed in the UK during the 1970's...
Even now, although many of you may not have heard of Piggly Wiggly, there are still around 600 stores operating in 17 states in the USA...
The principles of checkout stands, uniformed staff, provision of shopping trolleys and individually priced items became the basis for Walmart, Asda, Carrefour and just about every other large scale grocery retailer since.
Meanwhile in Europe...
From the 1st July 1916 to the 18th November 1916 the British and French Army carried out an offensive against the dug in troops of Germany in what would become known as the battle of the Somme, during the First World War.
On the morning of 6th September 1916, 19 year old Coldstream Guardsman Holland was involved in the battle and while Piggly Wiggly was welcoming it's first customers, he was attacking a town called Guillemont with his comrades - a battle during which he would be wounded along with thousands of others...
So who is Guardsman Holland..?
You can even see our family name above the shop - and not a Franchise in sight...
The shop is in Alum Rock, Birmingham - the building is still there although it is a fast food Pizza business now...
This was the family business; a business that would enable the Hollands to live, buy homes, cars and raise a family - a business that I was due to inherit and work in when leaving school in 1979. It was also a business that got wiped out by the big supermarkets who moved in and removed our ability to compete.
The photo of the business in 1979 was the same as 1912 - only the people changed...
This business that had been around for generations, finally closed in the 1980's and with it went the hopes and dreams of people who put their heart and soul into building something really special. I ended up living in damp bedsits and railway stations of Kings Cross and Liverpool St in London...
Our family business started to die on the morning of the 6th September 1916, not in the blood and mayhem of the fields of the Somme, but in a side street in Memphis, Tennessee. Guardsman Holland didn't know that the Piggly Wiggly effect would effectively close his family business down - he didn't see it coming...
You cannot know the Future...
The seeds of our success or failure are being sown without our knowledge. Taking the credit for your success on the basis of your actions and decisions is as ridiculous as blaming yourself for your failures by the same reasoning...
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same"
Rudyard Kipling - IF
Don't confuse your own success or lack of it with your own actions, knowledge and ability, after all - 65% of success is situational. Your job is not to be succesful, but to create the environment in which success is possible.
What can we really learn from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg..?
Are they better at selling or working hard than you are..?
Of course not - they are situationalists - as Malcolm Gladwell puts it so well, they are the Outliers. Their success was the consequence of them being able to create, experience and elegantly capitalise upon the situation they found themselves in...
Somewhere, maybe 20 years ago a Butterfly Flapped its wings and created the best opportunity of your life - your job is to put yourself into the situation that best enables you recognise it and go for it...
So what does this mean for us...?
- Learn Continuously - be open to the possibility of the new...
- Be Ambitious - growth is the key, you cannot stand still...
- Change - is happening, get used to it...
- Associate - with likeminded people ony...
- Say Yes - to opportunities that scare or excite you...
- Think Globally - your town may not be your best situation...
- Live in the Present - who knows what tomorrow holds...
And remember that everything we do is effectively a flap of a butterfly's wing - the results of our actions will show up in our lives and the lives of others. Every word we speak, email we send and interaction we engage changes the future and makes a difference - so choose your words wisely and play nice...
Have a great week...
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