I talk to business owners all day everyday regarding “growth” in their business. From time to time, when I’m hit between the eyes with real life examples of true growth — as I was this morning, I’m astounded at how limited our thinking about our businesses really is.
Dan Kennedy used to say that you know the difference between a business owner and an entrepreneur by the fact that a business owner is in the same business today that they were in last year and the year before that. Yet, that’s a trap that even the most successful business owners fall into: thinking about incremental increase vs. monumental jumps…. small changes vs. total reinventions.
But not the folks at Duck Dynasty, who — regardless of where you’re from, what you believe, whether or not you support gay marriage or pray at dinner — can serve as a really great example of constant reinvention and monumental growth. These guys started out selling duck calls. (THAT story… how they got started, selling to wal-mart is a very worthy story for another day, so remind me!) Somewhere, some how, they became tv personalities, speakers, product endorsers and much, much more.
This morning, my oldest daughter is at an orientation for the new high school she’ll attend starting Monday. As I waited for her to be dismissed, I stopped by the 7-11 for some smartwater and saw this… I’m using it as a reminder of just how blurred the boundaries are in our businesses… just how possible reinvention really is… just how limited we often think about what’s possible or what’s next.
That’s right. Duck Dynasty Sugar Cookies.
Oh the profit most of us are leaving on the table by thinking too small, too in the box.
My mastermind this month will be looking at REINVENTION and growth through CREATIVE and AGGRESSIVE LEVERAGE vs incremental increase. I want to challenge you to grab a partner and do the same.
