We recently went to see Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors on stage at Woking Theatre.

The kids LOVE Horrible Histories (as do we), and the author behind it all – Terry Deary – has made history a cool subject.

His secret?

He discovered that children revel in hearing about the disgustingly dangerous things that people used to do to one another; along with anything related to foul food, nasty toilets, and treating illnesses.

I was reading “Horrible Histories: Frightful First World War” to James the other night (I told you we were obsessed), and in his introduction Terry writes:

“It’s no use telling you the soldiers of the First World War lived in trenches and faced the enemy trenches across an area known as ‘no man’s land’. This makes it sound cosy and peaceful, doesn’t it? The truth is pretty nasty, but you’ll never understand how those people suffered unless you read their own true memories.”

Lesson 1: Know Your Market

Terry has nailed his market and truly understands them; their language, what engages them, how to make them (and their parents) belly-laugh, how they digest and context history.  And he never dumbs down.

Can you say the same for every type of customer, in every type of market, for every kind of product and service you provide?  And does your marketing reflect this?

Lesson 2: Seek the Truth Even if it’s Not What You Want to Hear

Terry’s philosophy is:

“If you never learnt the truth, you’ll miss out on some of the most useful things in life.”

And the same goes in business.

If you’re not holding up the mirror and being honest; and if you’re failing to ask your business the right questions because you’re too scared of what it might tell you, then you’ll remain stagnant at best.

You can’t grow a business on rocky foundations so finding those cracks and fixing them should be your priority.

It’s not easy being comfortable with the uncomfortable, but it will make a world of difference to your business performance and results – and I promise you, you’ll even start to enjoy the ride again.

Martin

PS – the kids are trying to get me to try the 16^th Century cure for baldness:  shave my head and smear it with the grease of a fox or the juice made from crushed beetles….

Martin Norbury

The Scalability Coach | Britain’s Top 10 Adviser 2018 | Author of #1 bestseller I don’t work Fridays  | Ex-CEO of a PLC