Creative Solutions Are at the Heart of Content Marketing
So, Why Do You See an Image of a Man Loading a Fridge?
As a business owner, you experience many challenges. However, in a country where scarcity is the norm, you have to come up with creative solutions daily. As a Bed and Breakfast owner in Cuba, I needed to expect the unexpected. So, during that time, I learned that no challenges were too big. And with patience and a good sense of humor, you can handle everything.
My refrigerator suddenly broke during the high season, just when I needed it most. This situation is even harder in tropical weather, where an egg can rot in only one day. As soon as I had put my most perishables in my neighbor’s fridge (community living is still thriving in Cuba! ), I began my search.
However, you might have guessed it already: no fridges were to be found in the entire town. Not even on the black market. (My guests often asked me where I got my goods. Well, that was the answer).
And there was another obstacle that was unthinkable for the Western world. Internet was (and still is!) very limited in Cuba. There’s no Amazon, for example, to shop quickly.
So the next day, I decided to try my luck in Cienfuegos, a much larger town relatively nearby. I entered all the (3!) electro-domestic stores, but, yet again, nothing.
I refused to give up and asked one of the shop’s security guards. Because you never know.
At that moment, my quest seemed to be over, finally. He indeed knew someone who was selling. Hooray! (I was still holding my breath, wondering if this was too good to be true). A friend of that security guard would bring me to this place.
I stepped into a tiny, somewhat shady house. The TV screen was nevertheless humongous and with a loud soap opera playing. "Am I in the right place?" I asked myself.
But, there it was, in the also tiny kitchen, my brand-new (still working today) refrigerator! I was as happy as a clam because I could offer food to my guests without hassle again.