18/01/2022
Something which I've realised is quite critical over the last few years of dealing with a multitude of clients has been to see which of them sit in a position where they are able to weather not only a storm but also to be dynamic enough to evolve and survive massive shifts in their industries and disruptions the size of which can not fully be understood at the present time.
What I have noticed is that it comes down to the fact that they don't build and plan when the chips are down but rather they do so when things are actually fairly comfortable and safe. So often clients will approach me when they are ready and incredibly difficult situations when their marketing strategy and advertising their products or services is now a make-or-break situation and the marketing thereof is the perceived silver bullet to all of their business problems. That's not to say that it cannot help them out of a difficult situation but rather by the time they have come to me it is tantamount to going to your doctor after having experienced pain and discomfort in a part of your body for the last 5 years and then hoping it's just going to be something small and simple that they could easily fix with a simple cream. Alas, this is rarely the case both with your health and in your business.
Business success, however you want to define it, and I suppose on some level almost everyone will include a level at which the business is financially stable and able to survive month after month is actually a bigger trap than a business that is trying to find its feet or trying to build itself into a position where it is successful. Yes, this may sound counter-intuitive but the biggest thing to realise is that when things are going well, that is the time you need to be creating and positioning yourself in such a way that you are able to manoeuvre for the inevitable sideswipes that are beyond your control. This “good period” is the time where strengthening and building in areas which you know you need to do, but which so often does not get put on the top list of your priorities, will allow for the kind of flexibility you need in when your business, or personal landscape shift.
It is truly incredible how quickly one can go from success to fighting for survival and it is this reality that needs to be in the back or rather in the front of your mind so that you are reaching out, stretching, and giving more when things feel as if there is no need to do so. It may even feel unfair that you are not able to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour now that things are ticking over in a way that doesn't require immediate adjustment or desperate strategic attempts at survival but the one thing that is for sure is that this time will come to an end.
If you are familiar with the childhood story of the grasshopper and the ant then you very much want to be the ant who is collecting and preparing and growing and evolving at a time where the grasshopper feels like there will be an abundance of resources, or in your case clients and opportunities.
