The toilet paper test that could save your business

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I've got an important question for you today…..

Which of these images is correct?

If you picked the one on the right, then you're what's known in the toilet paper industry as "an under" and if you picked the one on the left then you're "an over".

Now, I'm going to hazard a guess that you're an over – because, according to surveys (yes, they really have surveyed this stuff), 70% of people prefer their toilet rolls hung with the loose end over the roll rather than under it.

And it's an issue which people can get quite heated about.

For example, back in the 1980s, Oprah Winfrey said during an episode of her talk show that she was "an over girl" and she asked the audience which toilet paper orientation they favoured.

And, get this – the 32% of the audience who said they said they were "unders" actually got booed by the "overs".

So, please don't judge me when I tell you that…..

…. I was raised as an under!

Yes, that's right. I can clearly remember being told by my dad at an early age that when putting a new toilet roll on its holder you had to make sure the loose end hung at the back, nearest to the wall.

And for years I followed this instruction without question.

In fact, if I visited someone's house and found their toilet roll hanging in what I'd been told was the wrong orientation, I would helpfully remove and reinstall it for them to correct their error.

And once I was married and had kids, I would always turn the roll around if I found that another member of my family had hung it in the over position.

But then one day, a few years ago, something strange happened…..

I must have been in a particularly laid back frame of mind that day, because I walked into the bathroom, saw the toilet roll hanging the wrong way round and….

….I decided to leave it as it was.

And do you know what?

It turns out that the over position is better after all.

Admittedly, the under position – with the paper hanging down by the wall – looks neater and reduces the risk of the Andrex puppies grabbing the end of the roll, but….

… the over position definitely makes it much easier for a human to find the end of the roll and tear off the required amount of paper.

It's also (I learned today while researching the stats for this email and finding that there's a whole Wikipedia article devoted to the subject of toilet roll orientation) considered more hygienic because it avoids you brushing your germ-ridden knuckles against the wall.

So it all boils down to this…..

I'd spent 40-odd years doing something the wrong way, just because my dad told me it was right.

I'd never questioned it. I just copied his preferred choice.

Which brings me, as these things often do, to running a solo business.

You see, a lot of business owners end up flushing money and opportunities down the toilet for exactly the same reason – i.e. because they follow what seems like sensible conventional wisdom without ever stopping to question it.

I'm talking about advice like:

• "You need to be on every social media platform"

• "Always say yes to every opportunity that comes your way"

• "The customer is always right"

• "You have to work 80-hour weeks to succeed"

• "Never turn down work, even if it's not profitable"

This kind of advice might sound like it's designed to help you build a successful business. But often it's not.

It's just what people have always done, passed down from one generation of entrepreneurs to the next – regardless of whether it actually works.

So if you've been struggling to grow your business and wondering why you're working harder but not getting ahead…

…it might be time to check whether you've been following some conventional – but backwards – business wisdom.

Because if you have, then no amount of wishful thinking or "hustle harder" mentality is going to fix it. You'll just keep tearing off sheet after sheet of your valuable time and energy, wondering why it's all going down the pan.

So here's my challenge for you this week:

Take a step back and examine one piece of business advice you've been following without question. Ask yourself:

• Where did this advice come from?

• Is it actually working for me?

• What would happen if I did the opposite?

Sometimes the most obvious way isn't the best way. And sometimes what everyone else is doing is exactly what you should avoid.

The over vs under toilet paper debate might seem trivial, but the principle behind it isn't.

Question everything. Test alternatives. And don't be afraid to hang your business practices in a completely different direction if that's what gets you better results.

All the best,
David.

PS – I never got the chance to ask my dad what his rationale was for being such a hardcore "underer". By the time I had my toilet paper revelation, he'd already been dead for several years – and so it was too late.

But it's not too late for you to discover what outdated or incorrect conventional wisdom is quietly sabotaging your business success.

What's one piece of business advice you've never questioned? Reply and let me know – I'd love to hear what sacred cows might be ready for slaughter in your business.

PPS – don’t forget to check out this week’s sponsor (details below) and use the link at the bottom of this email to share The Smarter Soloist with a friend and claim your free gift.

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