A great business guru can stimulate a new way of thinking and propel your business toward success. When you do what the gurus do and still feel overwhelmed, and under-appreciated by your marketplace, it’s time to reassess.
1. Is the Guru in an ivory tower? If you’re following a leader with unlimited funds or one who’s detached from the everyday mechanics of what you do (are they in the trenches or in an ivory tower?), you may be following the wrong leader. With the fast paced changes in technology, media, and business trends your Guru may be, as the teens say, “So yesterday.”
2. Aren’t you old enough to give up “follow the leader”? If you’re following a leader in your field and finding you’re not getting anywhere it can be because the leader has been leading everyone into mediocrity. What is “tried and true” may by now be “old and boring”. If your market place has already seen it all before, then it may be time to try something new. For example, if all cookie shops put out chunks of cookies to sample, isn’t it time to try something new to stand out from the other cookie bakers?
3. Life is full of choices (I know because Homer Simpson says so!). Does your guru help you make choices or simply be a copy-cat? Social media is full of gurus promoting the “do it all” approach. That completely misses the point. Social Media is all about choices, finding the right medium that fits your lifestyle and work-style, and the right social networking that effectively connects to the people you want to connect with. It’s likely that if a social media guru has made decisions for you, you’re doing too much.
4. Do you have too many gurus? Like the old saying “Too many cooks spoil the broth” it probably can be said that “Too many gurus confuse the ashram.” Well, something like that. If you’re listening to too many people “in the know” its likely you’re hearing too many messages. If you’ve thought that your marketing plan feels out of control and that it’s all too much, then it’s time to pare down and refocus.
5. There’s a time to ask “What do I want to do?” Oprah writes a column in “O Magazine” called “What I Know For Sure” that encourages women to tap into their own resources. What have you learned from doing it all? What part of that experience can you bring to the table in revising a new marketing plan? These are the personal touches that can launch your business in a new direction. Who knows, you may be ready to out-guru the gurus with new insights that only you have uncovered!
Design to Spec recommends realism and not overdoing it. If you set big goals that are not realistic or achievable, you might get frustrated, tired and drop the whole thing. That’s not a good strategy. So, start with what you know you can accomplish and grow from there. Not sure where to start? Just contact us and ask.
