Little by Little: It All Piles Up

I had the opportunity to live in Japan for 6 months when I was in my twenties. Before I went, I spent some time learning the language and aspects of their culture. One of the parts of the Japanese culture and language that was emphasised by my professor was the Japanese kotowaza – or Japanese proverb. My professor taught the class several of these sayings as something we could use in conversation to break down barriers and open up the conversation. It was pretty funny to see the look on the faces of the Japanese people when I would insert a kotowaza at just the opportune time.

Since then, my Japanese skills have dwindled away to close to nothing, but there is one of the kotowazas that still resonates in my head.

Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru.

Translation – Even dust bunnies can pile to make a mountain

This one is so powerful because it speaks to the power of perseverance and the accumulation of many little things will amount to something powerful. In English proverbs, someone would say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

So let me ask you, in building your proverbial mountain – aka your business, what “dust bunny” did you add to the pile today?

In building that mountain or taking that thousand mile journey, it is important to continue to take steps daily. Remember, sometimes the step you take might feel like a step backwards. That is ok – as long as you are still moving. Even the steps backwards can end up moving you much further forward in the long run.

In marketing your product or service, here are some ideas for some steps you can take:

  • Come up with a new product bundle
  • Write a blog post
  • Find another business to collaboration with
  • Come up with a way to thank your customers
  • Acknowledge and show appreciation to your employees
  • Write a list of all of your business accomplishments from over the past three months and celebrate

The journey of building your business and connecting with your customers is a process of building up the mountain little by little. Just ask yourself,

What dust bunny can I pile up today?

Need help with identifying or implementing the next step in marketing your product or service? Fireball Creative would love to help you fire things up a bit!