As a young child, I often heard this phrase — “The early bird catches the worm.” My parents were ardent believers in this message as they were always up by five, although I don’t recall seeing them holding worms. It took a few years for me to learn precisely what this saying meant.
The ‘early bird’ statement originally came from a book of proverbs written in 1605, by author, historian, topographer, and herald, William Camden. William’s reference to this proverb was intended to dictate, that those folks having the most drive and initiative, generally go the farthest in life.
Extremely wise, William Camden died a wealthy man indicating that he’d definitely caught the financial worm along with literary and philosophy worms.
My father, during his business life, would unlock the door to his automotive parts store to people even before the business officially opened. He’d even stay late after closing hours, or drive back to the store if a shop called him at home. Within a few years, word-of-mouth advertising, along with this steadfastness towards customer service paid off dearly.
Here in Lake Havasu City, without mentioning any business names, I’ve come across the same service that my dad offered. A trailer hitch and welding shop located between Industrial and West Acoma in the Easy Street complex — bent over backward for me when I needed a last-minute adjustment on my hitch. I’ve sent them many customers since.
A car and truck dealership team stayed after hours to finalize paperwork on our new Jeep. They didn’t have to, because I mentioned to the salesman and finance manager that we’d come back early the following day. These two employees wouldn’t hear of such. Because of their sacrifice and commitment to their jobs, Joleen and I are now repeat customers.
Located on Swanson Boulevard, an Italian restaurant is always able to accommodate our unusual requests, such as allowing for both red sauce and white sauce on a pizza. They even go so far as to stick the leftover pieces in a box for us after we’re finished eating.
That might not seem like much, but when you’re sitting at a small table with a large box in hand it’s a big deal. We’re repeat customers there as well.
A Lake Havasu City towing service went out of their way, driving to Kingman to retrieve our truck, while two other companies wanted my complete personal history before even making a decision.
Easily over 100 degrees that July day, hot enough to make a camel sweat, we were able to ride safely back home in his wrecker with our little dog securely tucked in Joleen’s lap — although company insurance regulations allegedly discourage such. That act of kindness on the driver’s part netted him a $100 tip.
At one time on the south end of town, located close to where my wife and I live, was an Italian deli or sub shop. I patronized it many mornings for their biscuits and gravy or breakfast burritos, although they didn’t open until 8 AM which is a bit late for breakfast in my book. The employee would write down my order, and it was usually ten minutes before the take-home food was ready.
This was no problem because I could wait in my vehicle and listen to music. Their grub was good so it was well worth hanging around for. Initially, they were enthusiastic about my patronage, yet that seemed to wane over time.
One morning, I walked up to the outside counter to place an order, with the employee telling me that they wouldn’t be open for another five minutes. He was busy chitchatting with a woman standing outside the service window. I found that unusual because it would’ve taken the guy 15 seconds at the most to simply write down — cheese and egg burrito — or just remember it for that matter.
Being on a tight schedule, rather than sit and wait to order, I elected to head out of town to Kingman. Five minutes later I was wheeling through a popular fast-food restaurant on Swanson to get my food. I never went back to this Maricopa Avenue deli because a new convenience store opened up closer to my house, offering fresh breakfast burritos along with biscuits and gravy starting at 6 AM.
I told this story to several friends while informing them that the deli wouldn’t be open much longer, as its owner had evidently lost their drive, or fire, as I often call it. They needed to open earlier for the construction crowd, especially in this town.
One of these pals of mine disputed my analysis, saying that the establishment was doing a booming business, with them not needing my single order that day just to remain in operation. It was clear that he didn’t get the message.
“You’re exaggerating things because you were mad!” is how he ended the conversation. Ultimately, I turned out to be right, with this eatery closing less than 6 months later.
The early bird catches the worm still rings true, and new business owners should take heed of the powerful statement behind it. Those six words just might be the key to a successful business endeavor or a failure.
I’m sure the proverb originator, William Hayden, would wholeheartedly agree. It definitely worked for the better in his life!
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