Will my business still become what I want, if I just do what everyone else is doing?
My parents love to have pets – cats, dogs and chickens.
We always got chickens in our home and my dad like to raise them free range.
A year ago, I realized my dad was losing chickens. In fact, he was down to only 7 chickens.
It turns out, iguanas were stealing eggs in the coops; and the chicks were being hunted by hawks.
He has tried everything, but nothing works.
So, we came up with a simple solution to just remove some partitions and change the layout in the chicken coops.
We also put in some customized doors that we made ourselves.
It created a space that protects the eggs and the chicks until they’re old enough to survive outside.
In just 4 months, Dad had 20 more chickens – with two hens safely trying to hatch 8 eggs each.
“naive and dangerous words“
Then, a few weeks later, I caught my brother trying to change the small coop back to the way it was before – without asking anyone first.
He just came back from a long trip.
So, I asked him, “What are you doing, bro?”
“I’m trying to put in partitions”, he replied.
“Why?”, I asked again.
And then, he said something that I know too well.
He said, “This is how everyone does it and how a chicken coop should be like.”
This wasn’t my first time hearing those words.
I usually hear them from every failing small business owner that I have had the chance to interview or work with.
Except they’re not talking about chicken coops but their businesses.
These business owners would do things that make it impossible for them to:
- offer anything different or better
- satisfy customers
- be profitable
- and grow their businesses.
But then, they’ll make excuses like:
- “That’s how we were trained to do it”
- “It’s how we did it at my old job”
- “Everyone in this business does it this way”
Those words are naive, dangerous and a quick way to failure.
“doing things that don’t fit“
First off, no business is the same.
That’s because every business has its own unique circumstances.
Each business is started in unique situations, for different reasons, by different people with different plans and vision.
But most importantly, every business has its own unique problems.
These are the things that mostly decides how every business operates.
Now, by doing what everyone’s doing, you’ll just end up following things that:
- don’t work
- can barely solve your unique problems
- and don’t fit with the business you want.
“do it different but better“
Of course, it’s not possible to do everything differently – and you don’t need to.
You don’t need to “reinvent the wheel” on everything you do in your business.
That would be stupid.
If something isn’t broken, why fix it?
But then, you shouldn’t also forget that business is a competition.
A very intense competition.
And, it’s not a game of ‘who can do what everyone’s doing?’.
No.
This is not a “me too” contest.
You’ll lose miserably, if you run your business as a “me too” business.
Business is rather a game of ‘who can do it different but in a more effective or fun way?’
In other words, BETTER.
When everyone is doing something one way, that’s the time to ask, “what if I did the opposite or other way?”
Doing things in your own unique way, allows you to:
- find unexploited opportunities
- always stay ahead of your competitors
- and avoid unnecessary competition.
To put it another way, you get to beat the game without even playing the game everyone’s playing.
“you become just like them“
When you do what everyone’s doing, you become just like them.
Their strengths become your strengths and their weaknesses become your weaknesses.
In other words, when they struggle, you struggle and if they fail, you fail.
Anything that happens to them, will happen to you too – maybe, even worse.
Now, even if they don’t fail, the BIG question you need to ask yourself is,
Is that the business that I want to build?
A mediocre business that has no direction, personality and always struggling to keep up and stay afloat
Is that what you want?
“everything popular is wrong“
Look, doing your own unique thing isn’t only necessary; but it’s also practically two-thirds of your job as a business owner.
Will it be easy?
No.
Nothing about owning a business is easy.
Then again, it’s better and smart to ask for help if you’re having difficulties; than to follow what’s popular.
Besides, if you really want to build the business you want. A business that:
- makes you money
- runs itself
- gives you the freedom to live the life you want.
Then you need to understand this simple truth.
Everything popular is wrong.
Nothing out there is going to give you the business you want; unless you do things in your own unique way.
So, focus on what makes you different but also better; and not what’s popular.
Small To Sprout 