by Sammy the Chatting Chimp

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"After leaving the circus to make a better life for himself, Sammy the Chatting Chimp started his own exotic pet business and made a fortune. Now he wants to share the many facts and secrets he's learned, not only about business, but life in general."
 
Dear Mr. Chimp: Do you believe in the concept of 'work smarter, not harder?’
 --Dan Rutgers, Portland, Ore.
 
Dear Dan: Yes and no. To begin with, it doesn't mean one shouldn't work hard. But there is a point in a career where leverage can be more effective than elbow grease. For instance, as a salesperson and proprietor, I had to take care of all aspects of the business when I started out. And I was successful. But then I discovered the power of delegating and hired people to do the simpler tasks I had done, which freed me up to do more actual selling. When selling became less challenging to me, I hired salespeople and ended up making more money that way. In effect, by duplicating myself, I was working smarter yet certainly not as hard. But one first has to work hard to get to that point, and to learn the ropes. The same philosophy applies to living in the jungle. When I ate insects, instead of trying to grab one bug at a time, I'd stick a twig in a bug hole, and when I pulled it out there were dozens of grubs clinging to it. That was also working smart.