Things are changing...Because they always do!
Change is inevitable. We told Dad decades ago that his TV repair shop was not going to make it if he didn’t embrace computers, learn the repair process and open up the doors to a new world beyond TV repair.
But 45 years in the industry and he was deeply rooted to the romantic idea that he could make it work.
He couldn’t.
Big clunky big screens gave way to sleeker, more easily replaceable models and the shop died when he did.
Had he pivoted, my lil bro MIGHT have wanted to take it over, but he knew as well as I did, without that shift to bigger and more profitable things, he needed to find work that suited him.
So the legacy my father had spent decades building around town passed away as soon as his memory did.
I don’t want YOU to do the same thing. Don’t be a romantic.
it’ll kill you and your business.
Ways to Recognize the Romance:
You hold on to the idea of something because it is what you know has worked.
BUT just because something HAS worked, doesn’t mean it WILL work. And like fucking bell-bottom pants, it likely will come back into fashion, but right now? If it ain’t flowin’ like the Nile, you need to burn those hideous things and find a fashion fit that hugs your curves properly.
ACTION: Seek out what you LOVE and let that fire light the fire of the people you want buying your stuff.
You see other people having success at it.
BUT if you haven’t had the success you want with it? It might not be meant for you. Everyone has their strengths. I want you to play to yours. You NEED to play to yours. Not every business trend will work for you. Find a business that feels good and flows easily out of you everyday that people need.
ACTION: Figure out what you’re really super good at and find a way to make that your biz.
You once made money but you’re not making it anymore.
This happens to people who like to say, “But I made $75,987 dollars doing it - five years ago.” Um...yes, but if you haven’t made jack in the last 6-months? You need to re-evaluate and recognize that the market has changed.
The market changes constantly. What you used to do may not work now. For example, when the online space began to open up, it was all push marketing. That had to change. Because people changed. They became overwhelmed with the self-centered shouting people did on Twitter.
Then content marketing became all the rage. (It still is, but the way it’s carried out is completely changed - this is a WHOLE other blog post...Dani, can you remind me of this next week?)
Now, you have to be able to tell the stories (content marketing), make the connections with people (network marketing), and fucking pitch (push marketing) in order to blow shit up. Holy shit. Do you see that? What we have now is a cocktail. This is what I am officially dubbing Hybrid Marketing.
ACTION: Figure out a tweak that makes sense and carry it out. Is it that you need a bigger audience? A more targeted audience? A new selling angle? A new gig altogether? Or OOOOORRRR are the methods for growth that you’re using not working because new ways of doing have come out and you haven’t adopted them?