Are you waiting for that next green industry business growth opportunity to knock on your door? Funny thing about that \u2014 it may already be right there in front of you, and you just haven\u2019t recognized it yet because it doesn\u2019t fit your paradigm, the way you think about your business.<\/p>\n
Paradigms are patterns or frameworks through which we view things and use to solve problems. As futurist Joel Barker states, \u201cWith an outdated or ineffective paradigm, your business could be headed toward extinction. With the right kind of paradigm, your small business will thrive in today\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every business owner or manager has a set of business paradigms that govern the way they think and act in the situations they find themselves in. But when the situations change drastically from what they were before, the old paradigms may not work anymore. It may be time to find some new ones.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s safe to say that many green industry business owners have never experienced anything like what they\u2019re experiencing in today\u2019s marketplace. For example, here are just a few of the challenges facing green industry business owners today:<\/p>\n
When it comes to looking for your next green industry business growth opportunity in the face of this, we need to ask ourselves a few questions.<\/p>\n
The first one is: What business are you really in? Years ago, the railroad industry thought it was in the \u201crailroad business.\u201d Big mistake! So when the newly created airline industry wanted to form a partnership with the railroad barons, they scoffed at the idea. They didn\u2019t foresee how this new industry was going to change things, and as history tells us, it was all downhill for the railroads from that point on.<\/p>\n
They had the wrong paradigm, you see. They thought they were in the railroad business, when in reality, they were in the transportation business, the business of moving people and goods from one place to another. Today the railroads are barely surviving because they didn\u2019t respond correctly to that challenge a long time ago.<\/p>\n
One way to learn more about which business you are really in is to ask your clients. They\u2019re the experts when it comes to what they want and need from a small business, yet too often the owners of small businesses only guess at that. As a result, they miss the mark and don\u2019t really give the cutomer what they are looking for.<\/p>\n
How about your business? Once you know what kind of business you\u2019re really in, you can go to work developing a strategy to accurately fulfill your clients\u2019 needs and wants. But you can\u2019t do it if you\u2019re working under outdated assumptions.<\/p>\n
So how do you change your business paradigms? Have you ever heard the saying, \u201cI\u2019ll believe it when I see it\u201d? That seems like common sense, but you could be operating from an unconscious paradigm that says the opposite: \u201cI only see what I believe.\u201d You might be unable to recognize a situation for what it really is, because you believe it must be a certain way.<\/p>\n
Remember, there are several different ways to tackle any business problem. Be careful not to let your paradigm become \u201cthe\u201d paradigm, the only right way forward. Paradigms too strongly held can lead to paradigm paralysis, a terminal disease of certainty.<\/p>\n
In challenging times such as these, it\u2019s best to remain flexible and keep our paradigms pliant. Asking yourself action-oriented questions can help you change outdated thinking and develop more successful solutions to your business problems.<\/p>\n
Are there recurring complaints you keep hearing from your customers or employees? That\u2019s a clue that something needs to change. Ask yourself, \u201cHow can I turn those complaints into an opportunity to serve them better?\u201d<\/p>\n
As Thomas Edison once said, \u201cOftentimes, opportunity is missed because it comes dressed in work clothes.\u201d An important moneymaking opportunity may present itself in the guise of a problem.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a closer look at how this might play out.<\/p>\n
Awhile back, I was consulting with the successful owner of a car wash chain. One of his operations was located on a very busy seven-lane street. His customers, who mostly came in after work, kept complaining that it was very difficult to make the left-hand turn into that location in afternoon rush-hour traffic. And it was harder still to make another left to exit into that traffic once they were done.<\/p>\n
As we thought through this potential problem\/opportunity, the owner found that he could make it easier for his customers to both enter and exit the car wash simply by opening up an hour earlier in the morning. His customers could wash their cars on their way to work and avoid fighting traffic on the way home. He also added a \u201chappy hour\u201d incentive: Anyone coming in between 7 and 8 a.m. would receive discounts or free additional services.<\/p>\n
Success came from changing his paradigm from \u201cmy customers want to wash their cars after work\u201d to \u201cmy customers want to wash their cars before work because the traffic is lighter.\u201d It\u2019s a great example of taking a recurring customer complaint and turning it into an opportunity.<\/p>\n
How about you, in your green industry business or organization? Could there be something that needs to change in your approach to your clients, your employees or both? Here are some questions you and your leadership team can ask yourselves:<\/p>\n
Before tackling your next business problem, ask yourself and your team: \u201cWhat paradigms are we viewing this through and do they need to change?\u201d Then you can unleash your collective creativity to turn the obstacle into a profitable opportunity.<\/p>\n
How you think about your business may need to change to fit changing times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2777,"parent":0,"template":"","columns-categories":[46],"main-categories":[50],"class_list":["post-2774","columns","type-columns","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","columns-categories-business-to-business","main-categories-business-development"],"yoast_head":"\n