Idioms and Idiots?

Floater’s Blog: Pool Date, December 2nd 2025

Idioms and Idiots

Two people can see the exact same situation very differently. Is the glass half full, or half empty? It depends on how you are looking at it. Whether you are optimistic or pessimistic, whether you see opportunity or see lost opportunity in your rearview mirror.

Has your bubble burst or are you happily floating through life!

This imagery of different perspectives was portrayed in a perfect example which I learned from Thomas Bata, who ran the Bata Shoe Company for about 40 years while it was the largest shoe company in the world.

I was attending a speaking engagement with Thomas at the podium relating how his company had achieved such great success in reaching larger market shares.

The story goes…

“At the end of the nineteenth century, just as colonial Africa was opening up as a market, all the manufacturers of shoes in Victorian England sent their representatives to Africa to see if there might be an opportunity there for their wares. All duly came back in time with the same answer. ‘Nobody in Africa wears shoes. So, there is no market for our products there.’

All, that is, save for the Bata rep. He came back saying, ‘Nobody in Africa wears shoes. There is unlimited potential!’”

Which perspective do you take?

Which side of the beerfloat.calm story do you want to be on?

Don’t let your bubble burst, get on a float today!

Corliss

P.S. To our dear long-term subscribers and all proud floaters, my sincere apologies! The office folks asked my to help out with their Social Media Blitz campaign, so this Floaters Blog is geared towards influencing the influencers, persuading the fence sitters (that can’t be comfortable), informing the unenlightened…

You get the idea. Sorry you had to see me grovelling like this.

beer float.calm = beerfloat.net not beerfloat.com