When it Aint Broke, Fix it

One concept I keep coming back to lately is this: A sustained business is one that constantly changes over time—no matter what.

Creating business innovation is about constantly looking ahead. Constantly asking yourself, what’s next? Where will my market turn in the next year? How will my trade change moving forward? Where will I be at personally over the next year, 5 years, 10 years? If you’re comfortable today, it can be tempting to shut out these questions.

Comfort is the enemy. I’m learning that the real risk in business is staying too comfortable. You’ve got to keep the momentum going. Not in terms of sell, sell, sell, but in terms of change, change, change.

Looking back to 3 years ago, I embarked on a major change in my career path. I left my secure full-time job to go freelance and go into business for myself. It was a huge risk. I had no idea how hard it would be to build a steady stream of client work, make enough money to pay the bills, and get my business and life on solid footing. It took at least a year of watching my savings plummet, then slowly build back up again to figure it all out. It took two years to match and exceed the income I was making at my previous job. Now 3 years in, I can say I’ve got the one-man operation running smoothly. I’m able to support my current lifestyle. I’m comfortable.

And that’s just the queue I need to kick the change muscle back into gear.