Today, I want to tell you a story called, “The Boy at the Bus Stop”.

This boy is only 9 years old and he’s helping his mom sell packet rice every morning at the bus stop near his home so that they could make extra money to help the family. He has 6 younger siblings; his mom is a full-time housewife and his dad, an odd-job laborer.

Now this is a good lesson for us all. Not because of the condition of the family actually but the business lesson this boy can teach us all.

Well, the reason he stations himself at the bus stop is because there are many people taking the bus every morning, be it to work, the market or school as well as people returning home from the night-shift. In fact, it was a place where there’s traffic.

On his very first morning, he stood by the bus stop with two big red baskets filled to the brim with packet rice; one basket slung in-between his left hand and the other placed on the ground next to his right. Being only 9 years old, he was shy so he had with him a sign-board saying “Packet Rice - $1 Only!”

As he stood there for 2 hours, people simply walked past him. Person after person he counted and none would buy his stuff. They said hello to him, smiled at him, saw him selling packet rice but never stopped to buy.

Finally he decided to be active instead of passive. He started shouting out the very words on his sign-board, “Packet Rice – $1 Only!”, maintained eye contact with those passing by him and kept smiling while using his other free hand to wave at them calling them over.

Soon, about half the people who walked by had stopped to buy from him. Within just 10 minutes, he sold out his first basket and the second basket emptied in the next 15 minutes.

So my question for you is this. In your business, are you just standing there with your sign-board looking pretty? Or are you being active, shouting out to the world and waving at them to get the attention that your business deserves?

I hope this inspired you to take action and see your business in a different perspective.