BOO—IT’S GHOST MONTH!
By Chit U. Juan
Business Mentor Notes: Chit Juan is a serial entrepreneur who has started many businesses from cafes to restaurants, a convenience store, a laundry, a green and organic store and lately an organic vegetable farm. And she keeps going. Write her at [email protected].
Every time August comes around retailers stop construction, opening stores or doing anything related to establishing a new business or a new location. For the past 20 years I observed Chinese friends, friends who believe in customs and landlords alike observe this. They all respect the time to rest and press the pause button on our frenetic pace of retail…every year in August.
They say that in August, now called “Ghost Month” the ghosts come around and haunt you, haunt your business plans and spook your plans altogether. So, why take the chance? I am a happy landlord now also give way and allow retailers to delay openings and not insist on starting a new endeavor at this time.
How do we go around it? Well we have tried the following:
OUTSMARTING THE GHOSTS. Drive a nail into the wall, light up a stove, or do anything that resembles an action you would do when you open a store but do it before August.
WAIT IT OUT. Do not do anything and postpone all moves until September.
Mercury Retrograde
Other than this celebrated time—a whole month gone to nothingness, there are other periods to watch out for and it’s called Mercury retrograde, It happens when the planet Mercury takes a backward spin and louses up all communications and even affects gadgets and other equipment needed for communications like phones.
You can Google the exact dates because it changes every year. I have learned to look up the dates and put it in my notes folder in my phone or a notebook. This year it happened in April, it is coming again end of August to Sept 23 and another one in December. It is three weeks of slow, very slow passing of time because you cannot wait for it to be over.
I tried to go against Mercury retrograde and bought airplane tickets I never got to use for one reason or another. I have experienced signing contracts during retrograde and the deal needed revisions and some even resulted in complete cancellations. Even communication goes haywire. There are delayed messages, lost emails and miscommunication everyday.
Maybe this is the world’s way to balance things or make everything equal. Like you cannot win them all. You lose some, you win some. For people not aware of Mercury retrograde they can end up buying a car that will be a “lemon” or a gadget that will not work properly. Or sign a contract that will end up being revised or cancelled if not changed altogether.
When I tell lawyers and doctors about this they take the safer route and postpone signing or for doctors, postponing procedures that are elective or may be postponed. Those who go under the knife during this period may not heal as fast, some people say and believe.
So, it is also a good time to buy time to make decisions. You can always tell people its “Ghost Month “if it is August. Past or before August, you can look at retrograde periods and totally avoid making purchase decisions.
Hiring Employees
Even hiring employees work out better if done away from Ghost month or retrograde. We better play it safe and avoid signing employment contracts during these times. Sometimes, I tell the employee he or she can start working but the contract can be signed way before or after the prescribed bad period.
If you believe in Feng Shui, or having a blessing of a store, either of that is a custom you observe and respect. Try looking at these periods, too—retrograde or Ghost Month. And respect those who already believe. There is no harm in putting off something. As they say, everything will happen anyway in His time. When the time is right and correct. For non-believers, they say The Universe knows. And they allow the Universe to take over all their decisions and they just flow.
What will you do then?
Why force the issue? It’s better to be safe than sorry. I better finish this article before August comes—it may run the risk of not getting published. If you are able to read this article that means, I wrote it and submitted at the right time. If not, maybe the ghosts took it to a faraway place…where planets spin backwards. Take note of the calendared dates. And be safer.
Happy Ghost Month!! Be safe.
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