Going the Extra .5 Mile
Posted 5/09/12 in: Featured Martha’s Vineyard New Hampshire / Northern MA / Southern ME
The past month has proven to be a real lesson in running a small business. I have been at the helm of Photobooth Planet | Portland for over 2 years now, but I am still learning. Unashamedly learning.
I was contacted by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters about providing a booth for their annual ‘EcoProm’. This was one of the many events I got through our recent Groupon offering. The jobs have a slim profit margin, but in this economy, how can you be anything but grateful for the business? Well, the OLCV wanted an overlay made from their logo. This is right in my wheelhouse, so not a problem. Then, they asked if the curtain color could be changed to green. Now, green is a problem for a couple of reasons: Some digital cameras don’t like a true green very well, and tend to shift the color towards blue. Also, green can reflect onto faces and make guests look a bit seasick.
I mentioned my reservations, and the fact that we don’t have a green curtain to the event coordinator, but when she asked about using the booth without any curtain at all, I knew it was time to get creative. By purchasing a few yards of apple green fabric, we put up a panel that was pinned to the original, red curtain. The OLCV folks were overjoyed, and the pictures turned out nice too.
That’s when it occurred to me. Sometimes success is not even about going the “extra mile”, sometimes it’s even easier than we make it out to be. You can be a hero by just going an extra half-mile. It’s not that hard. And seeing a virtual who’s who of political big-wigs for the state of Oregon enjoying our booth for the evening, well, that is what you call a bonus!
