Stop chasing squirrels

Marty Grunder wants you to stop chasing after the wrong kinds of opportunities. 

To start off his presentation, “Stop chasing squirrels and capture business success.” Grunder, a speaker, consultant, author and owner of Grunder Landscaping Co., told a story about the family dog, Rudy. Grunder calculated how many squirrels Rudy has chased in his lifetime (roughly 5,475 squirrels). Rudy has never caught a single squirrel, but he still takes the time out of his day to chase one if he sees it.

All entrepreneurs chase squirrels. Grunder uses the term “squirrel” to describe a distraction disguised as an opportunity.

“So I ask you, how many squirrels have you caught in your lifetime?” he asked the audience.

Grunder told a story about his biggest “squirrel chase,” in which he decided to sell Christmas trees during his off season in 1993. He drove around and found the best trees and spent $60,000. He said it started off with a bang, but by Dec. 23, he still had 1,350 trees left, roughly $45,000 worth. However, his bust turned into a good thing when a family member suggested he give away the trees for free. He contact news outlets and told them he would give away trees to any family that couldn’t afford to buy one. And if people could afford them, he asked them to come and give a donation for a local children’s center. He ended up giving away every tree, and raising $9,000 to donate.

Unfortunately, because of the positive outcome, he didn’t see it as a “squirrel” and didn’t learn from his mistakes.

"The squirrels I have chased in my lifetime are way too numerous."