The country mouse saw his old friend the city mouse while shopping downtown. He insisted the city mouse join him and his family for dinner. The city mouse accepted the invitation and they headed to the country. The city mouse took a look at the table and shook his head at the small amounts of food served. He decided to invite the country mouse to his home downtown for a lavish meal the next night.
The next day, the country and city mouse headed downtown for the scrumptious dinner that was awaiting them in the alley. The city mouse showed the country mouse to the dinner and the country mouse could not believe his eyes. The amount of food was plentiful and much more than they could devour. As they sat down to eat, a cat showed up. The two mice ran to the nearest hole and hid until the cat was gone. They headed back to the table to start eating. Again, another cat approached them. After this went on a few more times, the country mouse packed his stuff and headed back to his home.
Lesson: While having luxury and the finer things in life can be enticing and a simple life makes things much easier…the trick in life and business it to find a good balance. Working to the point of gaining the “big fish” clients or accounts will provide you and your company success, but this cannot come at the expense of those smaller cornerstone clients. These modest accounts may not rake in the revenue, but they will be far less stressful and will usually consume far less resources, such as your time and energy. So, as you begin to see the success of your business, never let where you stated from be far from your thoughts and those “little fish” who helped you get there. Find your company’s balance between its fat city mouse future and its modest country mouse beginnings.
This post is courtesy a contributing writer to CEO Blog Nation.
Gresham W. Harkless Jr.https://iamgresh.comGresham W. Harkless Jr.
Franchise Broker & Entrepreneur | Founder, Blue Star Franchise
Helping founders and aspiring owners find franchise opportunities that match their purpose, finances, and lifestyle. Host of the I AM CEO Podcast with more than 1,600 interviews.
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About Gresham W. Harkless Jr.
Gresham W. Harkless Jr. is a seasoned entrepreneur and franchise broker based in the Washington, D.C. metro area. As founder of Blue Star Franchise, he helps aspiring and established business owners discover franchise opportunities aligned with their goals, skills, and long-term vision.
With over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and business development, Gresham brings a consultative, client-first approach to franchise matching. Through his media company, Blue 16 Media, and the I AM CEO Podcast, which has featured more than 1,600 interviews, he has worked with hundreds of CEOs, founders, and small business owners to accelerate growth and build scalable business models.
His mission is simple: to help people “run their race” by finding franchise opportunities that align with their purpose, skills, and lifestyle.
Credentials & Affiliations
Certified Franchise Broker - Franchise Broker Association (FBA)
Founder - Blue Star Franchise
Founder - Blue 16 Media
Host - I AM CEO Podcast (1,600+ episodes)
Featured in 50+ Black Marketers on the Rise & Influencer & Media Innovators (2022)
B.S., Business Administration - Howard University
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Franchise discovery & matching consultations
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Business growth advisory through Blue 16 Media
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Gresham shares real, actionable insights to help entrepreneurs grow, scale, and lead.
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Email: gresham@bluestarfranchise.com
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