Just another fork in the road?

I’ve enjoyed the calm of the past few days. It’s given enough time to take stock of the first few months of the year and to get a grasp as to actually what has happened. Weather events, family, sporting, social and of course business, all tend to roll into one until you have these quiet times to reflect on the direction each has taken.

The weather, as unpredictable as it is, seems to have relaxed a little allowing city caretaker’s to tidy up after the storm and flood damage. Homeowners have had time to do the same – that is if they still have one. And family dramas have settled with the help of our Easter rituals of chocolate, alcohol excess and sleep-in time!

Business is the curly one. It is never what you expect, seldom what you dream and always a reality that you must contend with and do what you can. The world economy often dictates what becomes of businesses small and large and the financial crisis we have endured has seen winners and losers of all entities. It would appear we are now on the flip side of the economic drama with most surviving companies in rebuild mode. Great for jobs, great for other businesses and great for governments looking for tax dollars to repay some debt, but for me it is great because I now have a clear view of what works and for what reasons.

When I planned my business more than ten years ago, the entity I imagined was a polar opposite of what I have now. Looking back along the path (not always a good thing if you read my blog post “No advantage in backward looking”) there is a correlation between events as described above and the path my little business has taken. I’ll concede that some changes have been due to calamities within other businesses, an ego-driven desire to have the bigger/better/bolder product than the nearest competitor and also if I am honest, through opportunities allowing immediate personal gain. But regardless of the changes, the resulting outcome has left us in a place where I am ready for more action.

What is the next big thing in this niche market that will elevate the brand to new and immediate heights leaving the naysayer’s stuttering? What future event will bring about that particular change and in what form will it come? We can no longer call ourselves a new business, so does that bring a new set of challenges to the table?

OK, enough reflecting in the desert spoon of history, time will tell and only then can we mark today as another fork in the road.