No Growth Focus = Decline

You may have heard the saying “Do what you’ve always done and you will get what you have always had”. I don’t believe this is true any longer. With the accelerated change of almost everything we know in our world it is insane to think that we can continue to do the same thing over and over and continue to get the same outcome. Changes in technology, ideology, the economy, sociology, borders, acceptable behavior, knowledge level, climate, global interaction, community, etc. affect your business. A business that operates like it did 10 years ago is missing some key connections and opportunities which will eventually cause the business to fail.

For example, there is a wonderful Toronto clothing designer that makes incredible women’s professional clothing line. For years they have been able to sell just by inviting people to a home to see the line. I would tell my friend she had a new line and they would book time to come. Now, we cherish our personal time so dearly that we don’t do things without first knowing if it will be worth our while. Because this designer does not have a website, does not post any of their past or current designs, does not have any online presence (at all – they don’t exist online), I cannot get anyone to make time, even those people that have been before and know the quality.

You don’t have to be an expert at Twitter, but you do have to know if your clients are on Twitter and that takes an intentional desire to look for opportunities for change. If you are not growing your business you are in decline, because you cannot do what you have always done and expect the same level of success.