Status Quo - A 1 Step Guide To Not Following Guides
One thing I've never understood is why many people attempt to emulate other businesses with which they want to compete. It seems logical on the outside I suppose, "They did it this way, and they have succeeded, therefore if I do it that way I will succeed". But there are a few problems with this logic. First, it assumes *you* are the same as that person you're trying to emulate. That you have the same capabilities, the same mindset, the same objectives. Second, it's a good bet that there are a lot of other people who think that way therefore that space must be getting pretty crowded and competitive.
Businesses are funny things. To succeed you have to fill a need, you have to provide value, you have to solve a pain point....but the *way* in which you do that should not be pre-defined. What do I mean by that? Let's say you want to sell your product differently than the way everyone else sells it? Go for it. Let's say you want to make it a priority for you and your workforce to be at home by 5:30pm every day? Have at it. Let's say you're not comfortable running a business of a larger size and want to stay at the size you are? Good for you. These are *your* values that you're building your business around. The business shouldn't define what your values are.
I can hear you saying "but I *have* to so that I can compete with the guy down the street". No. You don't. You have a choice. You can emulate that competitor, in which case you are roughly equivalent to that competitor, in which case you are *expected* to compete with them. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you are willing to let the business define you. Or, you can define your own space. You don't have to differentiate yourself from your competitor with unsustainable actions like better prices, or longer store hours, or better product selection, you can do it through actually being different. You can create your own marketplace in which that competitor is no longer your competitor. Build a business which works within your values, even if that business has never existed before. It may just be that your values are what will differentiate you and make your competition try and emulate you instead (Zappos customer service anyone? Googles investment in innovation culture?).
I'm not saying any of this is easy. It's not. And any time you break away from the pack it takes a lot more explaining to help people understand what it is you do. You can't just say "hey, I like sleeping all day and cooking late at night so I'll open a fine dining restaurant that opens at 2am". It still has to solve customers problems. But what I am saying is that sometimes it's not about thinking outside the box, it's about making a new box.
Cheers,
Matt Ridings
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