April 30, 2026

Business by the Book

Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. 

Cast a wide net. In business casting a wide net will yield more opportunities, more sales, more profit, and more work.  But what does it mean to cast a wide net? I like to fish on Lake Texoma for striped bass. During the summer, the best bait is live bait taken from the lake. Early in the morning, before sunup, an eager fisherman can catch enough live shad to bait hooks all day. A cast net - a round net with weights on the border to make it sink after being cast into the water - is used to catch those bait fish. The smaller the net, the fewer bait fish are caught on each toss. The larger the net, the more bait fish are caught because more water it covers more water. To catch more bait fish, cast a wider net. Be warned, however: the larger the net the heavier it is and the more difficult it is to throw; and it is quite a bit heftier to retrieve.

Casting a wider net takes more work but yields more results. If you need more business, desire more work, or require more customers, cast a wider net. Try to expand the area you cover. For example, I talked to a man a few years ago who was a salesman for rail car couplers. He not only called on car builders but also began calling on the companies for whom the car builders built cars. He encouraged the end customers to require his coupler on all new rail cars ordered. Therefore, the car builders had to use his product to satisfy their customers’ specifications. That is casting a wider net.

Another way to cast a wider net is to work in the morning and work in the evening. That is another message for another day. Working all day - what a concept!

Dr. William Howe