My Pop retired this past week. 

After a few decades in academia and a lot of hard work, he finished his career as the Commissioner of Higher Education in the state of Missouri. 

After the State Senate and the Governor acknowledged him, I was asked to share a story about my Pop.

Running with Bulls

What came to mind, before anything, was when we ran with the bulls and how much this expierence taught me about business.

I was studying for a year in Spain and during the famous festival of San Fermin my Pop came to visit. The morning of the running event, Pop was dressed in true festival fashion: all white with a red bandanna. As we got to the starting gate, and our nerves began to shake, my Pop’s years of skills as an academician kicked in.

Finding Others Who Have Been There Before

First, he began to network and ask people where they were from.

Next, he hit the research and asked who in the crowd had done this before.

Perhaps it was the fact that people were eager to talk and engage rather than think about being run over by a bull, or maybe it was Pop’s 40 plus years as a sociologist... Whatever it was, Pop connected with each person he encountered and he was able to open and close the conversation with speed until he found what he was looking for: a local with experience.

This local had run for the past four years and he shared his experiences and warned us that it was not the bulls we needed to worry about, but the stampede of people around us. If we put our hands out in front of us at the start, we would be fine.

And that’s just what we did when we heard the cannon fire and the people around us shouting “Toro! Toro!" Although people were freaking out and some were tripping on the cobble stone road, my Pop and I had our hands stretched out, as advised. The bulls got a bit too close for comfort, but together we made it safely to the bull ring.

So what does this have to do with business?

What my Pop can teach us is that networking and research can be life-saving, and it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There is a community of others who have already been where you are traveling.

It can be as simple as finding your audience, listening to the problems they are facing, and learning what services and products they are looking for.

Keys to Being Pink in a World Full of Bulls

• Don’t be afraid to ask. Many potential clients would be happy to share with you what problems they wish they could find a solution for.
• Look for someone with experience in the realm of your business. Although everyone may have an opinion about how to improve your marketing, the most valuable feedback will probably be from regular users of your product or service.
• Just having the information is not enough. You must test the information out (like my Pop and me did by stretching out our hands).

I’m curious -- if you had unlimited dollars in research, what would you like to know about the audience and clients of your Pink Business? What does Pink Business mean to you?

Here's to your Pink Business,

Jason