From the archive. First published in 2015. Still true today.
I originally wrote this back when my boys were small and two highly opinionated kittens ruled the kitchen. The kittens are older (and marginally wiser). The business lesson still holds.
At the grand old age of 17, our beloved cat Henry bowed out of our lives. As a thoroughly cat-centric family, we decided the only sensible response was to adopt two kittens from Cats Protection.
Enter Stampycat and Sparky. Siamese, possibly part meerkat judging by the way they sat bolt upright on their hind legs, permanently on surveillance duty.
They were endlessly curious. They sniffed, searched, climbed and vanished into dark recesses I didn’t even know existed. They also had a particular fascination with water. Baths, bowls, taps, toilets – if it splashed or flowed, they were there.
Food was another obsession. They quickly learned the rustle of treat packaging and would come charging in whenever I started cooking. Lifting them off the kitchen worktop, washing my hands and turning back to the hob became a repetitive cycle.
Asking the children to distract them had limited success. Apparently X‑Box duties were more pressing.
After a few days, I had a lightbulb moment. Instead of repeatedly removing the kittens from the worktop, I simply removed them from the kitchen.
Door closed. Problem solved.
Tea got cooked on time. I stopped being Mrs Grumpy. The children were fed. The kittens found something else to investigate.
And that’s the business lesson.
So often in business we overcomplicate things. With the best of intentions, we try to explain everything we do, every service we offer and every possible option. The result is information overload — and prospects quietly back away.
The most successful businesses make things simple. Clear messaging. Clear pricing. Clear next steps.
If something in your business feels frustratingly repetitive or chaotic, ask yourself whether you’re lifting kittens off the worktop when you should simply be shutting the kitchen door.
Sometimes the smartest move isn’t doing more.
It’s removing something.
Then & Now
2015: Juggling young children and growing magazines.
2026: Juggling grown sons and growing digital platforms.
Different chaos. Same lesson.
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