That Feeling Of Isolation
I was talking with a person this week who has some struggles with being isolated from the rest of the community. She happens to live with all her customers, 24x7, and has a tough time making connections with others outside her business.
For her company, she needs to be out there developing relationships with future customers. She can’t just throw money at advertising and expect people to walk in.
I’ve seen a lot of business owners who struggle with a similar problem. It’s not because they’re physically isolated from the rest of the community, but that they’re working 80 hours a week and don’t have the strength to get out there and interact with the larger world. This typically creates a few problems:
- They’re not making connections with people who might be future customers, partners, or employees.
- They’re not getting new business ideas which might produce breakthroughs.
- They’ve sacrificed their quality of life, and personal relationships are suffering.
This sense of isolation can be damaging, even fatal, to your company.
Most people recognize that they should be watching the competition, and general developments in the industry. It’s great to keep up on the right magazines, trade groups and newsletters. But there are much bigger opportunities out there.
One of my roles as a coach is to ask, “why do you do it that way?” And I’m not talking about just your company – this includes asking why your industry does it that way. I ask this because I often find innovative ideas which exist in one place and are totally unknown somewhere else. I’ve been amazed at some of the great progress I’ve seen in making stores more comfortable and attractive to customers – these might not be in YOUR industry, so maybe you have to look around at other examples.
Where do you find out about these kinds of things? Talk to friends in other industries. Read more general business blogs. Pay attention when you’re out running personal errands.
But don’t get stuck inside your own industry. Other people will come from the outside, inject some new ideas, and become the new winners.
Carl Dierschow
Small Fish Business Coaching Fort Collins
www.smallfish.us
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