The other day, I was chatting with a local Noosa restaurant owner. They mentioned something that caught me off guard: poor weather had been hurting their trade.
At first, I didn’t get it. Their restaurant didn’t even have outdoor seating. So why would rain or wind make a difference?
But when we dug a little deeper, it made sense.
The weather was changing customer behaviour in ways they hadn’t noticed before. Fewer people were going out in bad weather, even if they weren’t planning to sit outside. Delivery orders dipped too. Plus, when there was a spell of bad weather, people who may have been considering a last-minute break, may have decided against it.
The link wasn’t obvious until we stepped back and looked at the bigger picture.
This is a classic example of attribution bias. We often explain problems by pointing to the most obvious cause, while overlooking the real driver in the background.
The restaurant assumed the weather should not matter because their customers sat indoors. In reality, the weather was shaping habits and decisions well before customers ever reached their front door.
And that got me thinking: every business has its version of “bad weather.” It is the external factor you do not control, but that still impacts your bottom line.
For some, it might be school holidays shifting demand.
For others, it could be rising interest rates making customers hesitant to spend.
Sometimes it is subtle, like a competitor’s new offering or a change in community routines that quietly pulls people away.
The trick is spotting it early. Once you do, you can adapt, whether that is through smarter marketing, adjusting offers, or finding new ways to reach people when their habits shift.
So here is my challenge to you this week: