MIKE: Right. We try to figure it out later.

HATTIE: What I think that you can teach all small-business owners from that exact moment is that when we listen to our customers and we are positive and optimistic and say yes, that almost forces us into a new way of doing.

MIKE: Right. Beause first we had to figure out how to build it. The architects did a beautiful job of making it look real pretty. Well, we had to figure out how it was going to work, so our drafting department and our project managers did that. And so that was difficult in that we had to stay ahead of the game. There was a time limit on this. It had to be done at a certain time.

In the Studio

HATTIE: Mike just said it's OK to tell a customer, "Yes", even if you've never done it before, and even if at the time you say yes, you're not quite sure how you're going to do it. Let's try to understand why Mike, who seems smart and thoughtful, would give us advice that may on the surface seem foolish.

After 20 years of building log homes, Mike got an opportunity, along with three other builders, to work on the Wilderness Lodge at Disney World. Now here's what happened. Those four builders were offered the opportunity to work on just 10 percent of the project. During that work, the Disney architects would often ask, `Can you do something?' And Mike would jump in and say, `Of course, we can do it.' In fact, they asked him, `Can you bend logs?' He said, `Sure,' hung up the phone and said, `Well, we've never done this before.' But they built a steam room. They figured they needed to soak the logs, steam them, bend them and they were successful. They shipped the bent logs; everybody was happy. And because of his attitude, he believes, that's why he won the other 90 percent of the contract.

What is Mike saying? If you're going to build your business, when you are approached with a problem, you must be confident, not only just in yourself, but in your people and their ability to deliver on a promise. This is a mind-set. You approach a problem, not with doubt, but with boldness. I see this over and over again. Small-business owners must be willing to take calculated risks. I call it `preparation,' racing to meet opportunity.