A team of horses or a pack of mules?

When growing your business, should you hire a horse or a mule?

Horses look good.

They’re tall, come with a strong and pedigreed CV (probably went to a private school) and will run without asking questions.

Mules are less attractive.

They’re a little ugly and come with a more complicated past. They also take longer to get going, and will never move as fast.

But, once you have the trust of a mule they will never leave you.

Mules will keep climbing, one hoof in front of the other, no matter how steep the mountain and no matter how much weight they have on their backs.

A mule will stick by your side long after all the horses have fled.

If you want a business that looks good, get a team of horses.

If you want a business that will last, hire a pack of mules.

“We travel with mules because horses’ legs will break in these mountains. A mule descending a slope in darkness will never step false. In extremity a mule will lead us to water, while a horse will wander in circles and die… See how attached these two [mules] have become to us already? You lead yours by its halter no longer, nor do I. We have stopped hobbling them at night. They will not abandon us, believe me, even under fire.” ~ A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield

Photo by Ron Hansen on Unsplash