What Was Your Defining Moment in Your Business?
Anita Campbell recently asked:
Did you ever reach a defining moment in your business when you just knew it was going to be a success?
Success can be an elusive goal for small business, especially in as dynamic a business as web publishing. Today, I feel like my blog is on top of the world, but what about tomorrow when blogs are passé?
Like the mythical buggy whip manufacturer, even the best and most successful businesses must adapt to survive. In the early part of the 20th century when automobiles were still new, buggy whip manufacturing was a mature industry with many competing businesses, and many successful business owners. Within a few decades they were all but gone.
It wasn’t the car, though, that killed the industry. Rather it was the buggy whip maker’s definition of success. They might have been the best at braiding leather whips, but by the mid century that was as quaint as claiming that your business is the most experienced Windows 95 developer today.
Because they saw themselves as whip makers, instead of in the transportation after-market accessory business, there was nowhere for the buggy whip makers to go but into bankruptcy.
What was yours?
Photo by Jan Tik.
jaeda on September 16th, 2008 2:12 am
yes, when you feel that you have more than what you really have, it practically goes down.
Paul on September 17th, 2008 10:20 am
To answer the question What is Success? With a narrow definition that only includes success in business is to leave the definition of success in the rest of life’s activities unanswered. Stephen Covey addresses this in his books. Those who focus solely on making the sale, closing the deal will soon find themselves out of business. People like to like people. The real defining moment in business is when the entrepreneur steps back and see’s his activities from an objective point of view. Meet the customer’s needs – or get whipped! :)
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