Problems are Opportunities
A problem is a solution waiting to be found. Put another way; a problem is just an answer upside down or in disguise. The bigger the problem; the bigger the opportunity, and every opportunity can be a business.
Motivational speakers, successful business people, business coaches, entrepreneurs and optimists all look at a downturn in the economy as an opportunity to upskill, retrain, shift their business focus and launch new businesses.
It is always at the point of turmoil that opportunity most presents itself. This is where people have the greatest need. An unexpected rain shower will create a sudden business opportunity for an umbrella vendor. A traffic jam creates a captive market for the radio stations, roadside vendors or breakdown operators. This list goes on. The principle being that a challenge, a problem, crisis or any other adversity, can be the making of a person who is creative and takes positive action.
In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins compared eleven ultra-successful companies with other companies in the same industry, in the same timeframe, with the same opportunities that didn't shine. Apart from good business practices which he details quite clearly, he and his research team identified that a positive, creative, constructive attitude in the face of adversity was a key factor in the truly great companies pulling through and riding over the challenge.
This requires way more than just positive thinking and will-power. This is truly believing that a problem is an opportunity, and a big problem creates a golden opportunity in business.
Over the years I have helped hundreds of businesses (actually thousands) with their various IT needs - hardware, software and in the last decade the Internet. The people who stand out in my mind are not the losers that stood back and said "Oh dear, oh dear, business is bad!" It's actually not those optimists who always put a positive spin on everything all the time, despite reality. It's the ones who have faced a serious issue, problem or changing circumstances that they tackled creatively, maybe with a few sleepless nights, but some deep thinking that when applied gave them a unique differentiator in business and set them apart in their industry.
Those are the little gold nuggets in my client base, gems in an otherwise pretty mediocre New Zealand business community. Some Kiwis, when their back was to the wall, are renowned at doing this and have conquered the world. Why not apply your creative juices to your current business challenges too and use the wave of adversity to lift you above the rest?
Tagwords: problems, opportunities
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