Are you one of those entrepreneurs who people find hard to keep up with? You know, one of the ones who continually bounce from one idea to the next, without taking a breath. Or perhaps, you’re the opposite, one who’s very comfortable in their comfort zone?
I can tell you from experience that the most challenging entrepreneurs to coach are those who have been successful, very successful indeed, but who have become complacent over time.
Complacency is very risky business…
Will Rogers, an early 20th-century actor, said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” In business, and in life, things continuously change.
Even if you don’t change anything, everything around you evolves: new technologies, new processes, new arrivals and competitors on the market, etc. Let’s think about everything that’s going on in the world around us right now, how we work, train and socialize. Think of social media nowadays: it created new ways of using technology, communicating and learning, but more importantly, it created a new marketing world.
Let me explain.
Before the birth of these platforms, outbound marketing dominated: advertising, cold calls and even door-to-door sales! “Ah! The good old days! Everything was simpler,” some would say.
Social media has revolutionized the way things are done with inbound marketing.
The concept of inbound marketing focuses on attracting clients into our business, the services offer. It’s a softer, gentler and natural approach; however, it’s an approach that requires more time, attention and intention. It’s about giving, giving, giving… then asking.
In the 1970s, we were exposed to approximately 500 to 1,600 advertisements a day. A few decades later, advertising exploded in our everyday life. In 2007, market research firm Yankelovich estimated that a person was exposed to advertisements up to 5,000 times per day.
Although there aren’t official numbers yet, several advertising firms estimate that in 2021 we’re exposed to 6,000 to 10,000 advertisements every day. Those that stand out and capture our attention are the businesses that have innovated and adapted their way of doing business development.
Social media is just one of the many changes in recent years. Just think about the evolution of the traditional business models towards virtual business models, the use of video conferencing, the surge of remote working (which I believe will remain very present in our lives), automation, robotics, and the new ways of enhacing employee and client loyalty.
There’s only one constant: change
In recent years, industry giants have disappeared because they didn’t adapt to change or didn’t know how to. Think of Kodak, Blockbuster and Sears, to name a few.
Today, I invite you to take a moment and plan the next level of your success. Ask yourself:
- What qualities and actions have helped me become successful thus far?
- What should I let go or change to move on to my next level of accomplishment?
- Who must I become to reach this next level? What must I learn? Who can I ask for help?
What brought you to your current level of success is not what will bring you to your next level of success.
Everything continuously changes. Innovation and progress don’t take vacation!
Therefore, if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards. That’s it, that’s all.
Successful entrepreneurs understand that progress is a life’s work. Look at the most successful entrepreneurs: they constantly reinvent themselves; they continuously evolve all while following a constant path.
So this month, my invitation for you is to take the time and think about the future, to look deep within. Take the time to take stock of your journey thus far and plan strategically for the next couple of years.
This is the first step towards progress.
Once we realize that we either move forward or backward in life, that the status quo does not exist, we see that… …
It’s always with great pleasure that I read your comments. You can contact me here and join me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and now on Instagram.
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