Keeping Ahead of the Changes

By Gerald Zimmerman

Change is everywhere. Technology is changing, daily. Education has changed since we went to school. People’s likes and dislikes change regularly. Business opportunities and methods change constantly.

The one thing that often doesn’t change is our outlook on things. We get set in our ways, unmovable when it comes to modernizing our business and our lives. “I’ve done it that way for 20 years, and I’m not about to change now.”

Years ago, I knew a gentleman, John Cienian was his name, who had been the editor of a large daily newspaper. He had retired by the time I met him, and he ran a small business just down the street from my home. I enjoyed going to his store, and we just talked about life, and dreams, and things. He was the mature, experienced man of the world, and I was but a teenager at the time.

John talked at great length about people he had known who were very successful in their own right, but who had fallen on bad times. One of those people was the publisher of the newspaper John had been editor for. For many years, the Herald had been a major source of news for people in that part of the country. Advertisers clamored for space within its pages, and reporters from the paper seemed to be everywhere at once.

John told me that he had many talks with the publisher about changes that were coming about within the newspaper publishing community. New methods, new styles, new looks. He said that he told his publisher that if they didn’t make changes to the Herald, the paper would soon be a dinosaur, and have little worth. The publisher said that he had run the paper for 50 years this way, and wasn’t about to change.

Just a few years later, the “other” paper in town became the dominant force in reporting the news, and the Herald became a thing of the past, and eventually stopped publishing altogether. I am sure there are only a few people who remember the paper today.

The problem was that the Herald didn’t keep up with the times. They tried, and failed, at maintaining the interest of the reading public.

Another striking example would be the demise of retail giant, Montgomery Wards. Visible everywhere, in malls, free-standing stores, as well as its famous catalog, Wards was a major player in retail sales nationwide. But it also failed to keep up with the times, and suffered a painful demise. Not so far from where I live in Texas, there is a large building that apparently was a warehouse for Wards, and the name is still on the side of the old, empty building. It’s a constant reminder to me of how failure can come to even the largest.

As I look at my business, small though it be, I remember the words of my friend so long ago. He said, “Gerald, in anything you do, whether it is personal or professional, you need to keep track of what others are doing around you – especially your competition. Failing to do so will cause them to prosper, and you to fail.”

Because of that, I need to look at my business on a regular basis, even monthly, to be sure that I am still on the right track. I need to put aside my sentimental reasoning and admit when I am running behind the progress curve. I need to change, or tweak parts of my business to keep up with the ongoing societal changes that are prevalent at the time.

One of those areas that is hard for me to understand is Social Networking on the computer, like Tweeter or Facebook. But these are fabulous venues for advertising, and I am having to put aside my preferences and prejudices and get on board the train this type of venue is riding.

New computer programs that speed up the process of delivering my product to the customer, is another area that I need to keep up with. Having various choices for my customer to pay for his order is a growing area, and needs to be addressed. Adding new products and services to my line can only enhance my success.

What I’m saying here is that we need to address the possibility of change within our lives and businesses. Holding on to the old only makes us old-fashioned and not up to date. It does nothing to enhance our business bottom line.

John Cienian was right. Our search for new and innovative ideas, products and methods doesn’t end when we get some success. It doesn’t even end when we are ultimately successful. That’s because the very nature of business is that we can be back where we started in less time than it took to get to the top.

Gerald Zimmerman is the owner of http://www.HappyMakingMoney.net and reviews popular home business ideas and opportunities.  Gerald’s most popular home business recommendation is the Plug-In Profit Site at:  http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-29075 where you can get your own money-making website setup in 24 hours!