I’ve been meeting a prospective client virtually several times over the past few weeks. When we first met, he expressed his concern over the “c-word.”
The C-word was “Consultant”
He explained that they had used consultants with dismal results and were afraid of making the same mistake again.
I told him, naturally, that he had worked with the wrong consultants and assured him of a remarkably different experience. 🙂
Of course, that’s easy for me to say and to be expected. So I invited him to call some of my current clients, which he did.
I gave him the names of half a dozen current clients across various industries and company sizes from small to large. Those phone calls assured him he that was making an incredibly wise investment.
But in all reality, this was the small decision he needed to make because there was a much bigger issue at hand.
It’s an issue that many owners, executives, and CEOs of small to medium-sized privately held companies I talk to are dealing with right now.
I bet you can relate.
The business was doing well, but everyone inside the company seemed content with holding the line.
They were one of the lucky ones. Not only did they make it through the pandemic relatively unfazed, but in many ways, they also thrived (but so did their competitors and the entire industry!)
He was aware that his industry was constantly changing, the competition was always gaining, the buying cycles were changing, the supply chain was slowing, and he was trying to maintain a continually shrinking lead.
Sound familiar?
He already knew the answer. Now was the time to take a drastic left turn and seek out a new path.
Don’t get me wrong. His concerns about the C-word were fair.
But it was the wrong C-word.
The more critical C-word here was “certainty.”
The certainty that the times are a-changin’ and will continue the change.
The certainty that the status quo isn’t going to cut it anymore.
The certainty that no strategy from the pre-pandemic world would be valid today.
The certainty that now is the time to make a move, even if it means moving into the unknown (thankfully, some people can help!)
And let’s not forget the other C word – Coasting. They wanted to coast, but we all know you can’t coast on the way up. You only coast on the way down.
What are you waiting for?
You have to invest if you want to grow.
