This past week has been incredible…..so much happening and so quickly that it makes my head spin. I just love it when it’s like this. Development is going full steam ahead, had some great client meetings and the team is working on a couple of ground breaking ideas. Amongst all of this excitement there is always someone or something that rains on your parade….in my case it was Pepper.

For those of you that don’t know, Pepper is my cat. She’s been a part of the family for over fifteen years and we all absolutely love her.

Whenever I go away she comes and sits in my study and stares out the window waiting for me to come back from my travels. When Roselyn and I sit on the couch to watch television she inevitably climbs up between us and demands a scratch under the chin. Well, this was her behaviour until last week….

About a week ago Roselyn decided that it was time for Pepper to have some worming medicine and after a bit of a fight (which involved a few scratches) she gave up. As far as our cat was concerned we’d crossed the line. No more sitting next to me as I worked or snuggling up on the couch together. She almost stopped eating, banished herself outside and meows pitifully if we come near.

Like I said, there’s always someone that spoils your week. Sometimes it’s because in your wild enthusiasm you just trod on a few toes or forgot to do something you committed yourself to. In these cases, maybe it’s time for some apologies to get things back on track.

I’ve always been amazed at people that won’t apologise. The person that is strong in themselves doesn’t view saying sorry as a weakness but rather as a strength. So who is stronger, the one that apologises or the one that digs their heels in?

So I’m apologising to Pepper. This has involved debasing myself to moving the food to where she is resting rather than in the normal spot. Ensuring that she has premium irresistible quality, full of flavour and goodness rather than cheap dry stuff. I’ve even coaxed her inside with a few scratches behind the ears…..and slowly but surely she is responding.

So if you’ve ever had someone spoil your awesome week then take them out for a really good dinner followed by a massage….you’ll win every time.

Have a great weekend!

Michael

I’ve had my cat, Pepper, for around 13 years now and to say that she’s a part of the family is actually not quite true. For a start, the previous statement is completely incorrect. Pepper has decided to grace our family with her presence for the past 13 years and we are a part of her life would be a more correct statement. For those of you that have a cat, you will completely understand the not so subtle shift in those sentences and who actually runs the household.

Pepper has the entire world figured out. She has servants that feed her, give her a regular massage and she sleeps for about eighty percent of the day. The house is hers and she only lets the family live in it because we play a necessary part in her hedonistic lifestyle of eat, sleep and lie in the sun.

As all cats will confirm, they are absolute geniuses. For example, Pepper has saved me from spending untold thousands of dollars on completely irrelevant domain names. When I get excited about a name and I’m about to press the “buy now” button she just looks at me in a disapproving manner and that’s all it takes. I abandon my misguided shopping cart with a sense of relief that once again I’ve been saved by my beloved feline.

After a particularly intense day of work she graciously lets me pat her head and give her a bit of a scratch under the chin. The stress seems to leave me with each passing minute and Pepper just looks up me with a knowing smirk on her be-whiskered face that once again she’s manipulated me into getting what she wants.

Every now and then she has to whip her underlings into shape and demand the attention due her status. On one particular day her bowl wasn’t brimming over with delectable delights so she calmly entered my study and started chewing on my iphone 6 USB cord to let me know her displeasure. Within half a second I had bowed to my master, filled her bowl and asked if there was anything else that I could do for her.

I sometimes think that if Pepper deemed it worthy of her station she could have the entire domain industry whipped into shape in no time. Google would be transparent, monetisation providers would soon have the flexibility to really innovate and some registrars wouldn’t “accidentally lose domains. They’d all be terrified that she would pay them a visit to truly express her displeasure at their actions.

Even as Pepper dictates this blog, I’m feeling a little intimidated by the forcefulness of her purring. It’s almost like she’s decided to place the entire domain industry on notice. Then again, what would a cat really know? Oh, oh, she just growled at me for writing that!

Have a great weekend.

---------------------------------------------------

Michael Gilmour has been in business for over 32 years and has both a BSC in Electronics and Computer Science and an MBA. He was the former vice-chairman of the Internet Industry Association in Australia and is in demand as a speaker at Internet conferences the world over. He has also recently published his first science fiction book, Battleframe.

Michael is passionate about working with online entrepreneurs to help them navigate their new ventures around the many pitfalls that all businesses face. Due to demands on his time, Michael may be contacted by clicking here for limited consulting assignments.