Keep Building Your Business Like A Spider Builds Its Web

A Big, Beautiful Lesson From An Ugly, Little Creature

Not too long ago, I was talking to someone who was kind of “bummed out” about his business. He runs an offline service business. He’s been doing the business successfully for years, but has recently stalled a bit.

He said that “A lot of things that used to work aren’t working anymore”. As I tried to encourage him and give him some suggestions, he seemed determined to stay in his “woe is me” mentality. It almost seemed as if he forgot who he was talking to.

I say that because he seemed to be looking for someone to join him in his pity party. Boy, he was barking up the wrong tree and talking to the wrong guy! I don’t do pity parties. I’m usually focused on trying to solve problems, rather than focusing on the fact that there are problems.

Anyway, I kept trying to work with this guy with little success. He isn’t a client. He is just a business owner that I happen to know.

I’ve been doing business for most of my life, so I have had times when I have felt just like he did. I mean the part about business not working the way that it once did. I have also felt like my business had stalled and that it was not really going anywhere.

That’s probably why I felt so bad about his situation and really wanted to help him. So long after I got home, I was still thinking about my conversation with him. And I kept thinking about what I could have said to get him back on the right track.

And then as I was looking out of my window at my deck, it came to me. If I had thought about it at the time, I would have told him to keep building his business like a spider builds its web. I know, it probably sounds ridiculous, but stick with me for a minute.

It’s amazing how we can sometimes find inspiration just about anywhere we look. A couple of months ago, my wife and I went out onto our deck. Our family had been so busy that it had been several weeks since anyone had spent any time out there.

So when we went out there, we noticed a huge spider web on the deck. It was so big that it was kind of creepy. You know, the kind of thing that your wife wants you to get rid of right away, so it doesn’t “creep out” the kids. The kind of thing that you, the husband, don’t really want to let the rest of the family know is “creeping you out” — even though it is. Anyway…

No problem. I did the “guy thing”. I got a broom, knocked down the web and sat out on the deck enjoying the rest of the day with my wife. Cool. The next day, to my surprise, my wife tells me that the web is back. I look out the window, and what do I see? A huge spider web on the deck, as if I had never knocked anything down the day before.

Okay, so I got my broom and did my thing. I knocked the web down and went about my business. No problem. The next day, my wife was asking me why I didn’t move the spider web. Of course, I said that I did, at which point, she said “So what’s that?”

I looked out the window and there it was, as large as life — a spider web. I shook my head, laughed, told my wife that I was sure I had knocked it down and went out and did it again. This time, I made sure that my wife watched me.

Would you believe it? The next day, there was a spider web out there again, almost in the exact same spot! Now I was getting really annoyed. A spider was trying to outdo me! It was building its web in almost the exact spot every time I knocked it down — and daily! Huh??? You know what I did, right? Right. Broom time.

Wait. It gets better. That night, my son looked out the window and actually saw the spider. He said “Hey Dad, you might want to look at this spider. That thing’s kind of big.” At first, I couldn’t see it (I guess my old age was at fault), but then I saw it, dangling there, as if it were taunting me. And yes, it was kind of big…

Although I really wanted to, I resisted the temptation to go out onto the deck in the dark and kill it. So all the animal/spider lovers can relax. But I did go out again the next day and knock the web down again. This time, something “funny” happened.

The next day, there wasn’t a web in that spot. Instead, it had built another web slightly off to the right side of the original spot. Are you kidding me? The spider had decided that since I kept knocking down its handy work, that it would build elsewhere. It “adjusted its plan”.

Now, I admit, I don’t know much about spiders. But I wasn’t quite so stunned that it kept rebuilding its web, as I was that it kept doing it basically every day!

Do you know what most people do when they are doing anything and it keeps getting knocked down? Do you know what we usually do when we are doing business and things don’t go the way we plan them?

You guessed it. Most people usually give up. We find a million excuses. We declare that we can’t do it. This happens routinely when people try to make money online, for example.

Most people try a few things for awhile and don’t make any money. In fact, they usually lose money. Yes, unfortunately, it’s true. Most people don’t make a penny when they try to do business online. It’s really sad.

What’s even more sad is that instead of studying, learning, being persistent and continuing to try (like that spider), they get knocked down or roughed up and quit (unlike the spider).

I know, I know. I’m a guy who probably has a little bit too much time on his hands; since I’m going on about doing business like a spider. But you know, I must say, at first, I was annoyed that the spider kept on building that web. Then I was angry, because I had to keep going out to knock the web down.

I know, most people think I’m crazy, and maybe they are right; but after a while, I actually came to admire that spider’s work ethic. Don’t get me wrong. I still wanted to crush that sucker.

But I still had to admire its effort and willingness to keep on trying, getting back up and “continuing to do business”. If only I can convince some business owners that I work with to do the same. Wouldn’t that be cool?

Hey, if only I can convince the guy I was telling you about to do it. That would really be cool. You know, when I see him again, I’m gonna talk to him about that annoying, aggravating, hardworking, persistent spider on my deck.

I’m going to tell him what I just told you. I’ll tell him how the spider kept coming back, rebuilding and trying, again and again and again. And yes, I’ll even tell him that in my own crazy way, I admire that spider’s work ethic.

Then I’ll ask him if he has ever thought about the fact that there might be someone, somewhere (like maybe his wife, kids or customers), watching him.

And maybe they are waiting to see if he is going to keep on working, trying and building — or if he is going to quit and go away. And maybe if he keeps on working through it, trying and testing out new plans that he just might learn some new things and succeed.

And maybe, just maybe, whoever is watching him will admire him for his work ethic and have a new-found level of respect for him — like I do for that spider.

If it’s his wife, maybe it will make their marriage stronger. If it’s his kids maybe it will make their father/child relationships stronger. If it’s his customers, maybe it will make his business stronger.

And who knows, maybe he’ll just prove to himself that he can do it. And maybe his self-esteem and self-confidence will be stronger. Wouldn’t that be something?

And all because I was annoyed, tormented and aggravated by a stupid spider on my deck. Oh, the spider. Just in case you’re wondering, it eventually stopped building the web on the deck — at least for now.

But you know, something tells me that it is still there, somewhere, plotting, planning, working and building. That thing was just too stubborn to quit. And if you truly want to make money online (or anywhere else), you should be too.

Learn this (probably “crazy”, but simple) lesson. Keep building your business — like a spider builds its web!

This message was brought to you by Nathan White, The Minister of Marketing (“The M.o.M.”) and host of the Honest Business Podcast at HonestBusinessPodcast.com

I help business owners build their businesses with simple, honest marketing that works. If you would like to stay in touch with me, you can reach me at HonestBusinessPodcast.com or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/thathonestbusiness