THE COST OF LEADERSHIP
So many people talk about “Reaching the summit”. We have esteemed being “at the top” as the ideal position to exist in. This is bull-shit for so many reasons. People die summiting in the same way businesses fail within the first 3 years. We aren’t prepared to climb. We don’t want to pay the cost but we spend our lives either jealous or envious of those who “made it”. Made what? I asked business owners about what was one of the annoying things they had to deal with? Two themes emerged. The first was a lack of respect that came from either the customer or from peers. The second was how many people “no-call; no show”, which is a waste of time. So what do these two things have in common? The perception of the business owner. We are so bombarded with options so much so that we assume each interaction is of little importance. Consumers are slaves to corporate algorithms so much so that we have forgotten what it’s like to have our local barber know our name, our barista actually care about our order, our doctor knows our children’s name, and what having relationships with the people who offer us their services is like. Further, to survive as a “Medium business owner; because there is nothing small about us” we are consumed by the digital instruments that are necessary for us to be successful. The talent that drew us to owning our business ends up taking a back seat to skill-sets we are learning on the fly. Our clients don’t understand this. Consumers are assholes. I’m a consumer. I’m an asshole. But, being a business owner has humbled me. I know that every person who checks me out at a cash register is trading their precious time for money. I know that most of America is “scraping to buy” and then gazing at the social media influencers as deities with blueprints to heaven. It’s sick and we are all paying the cost. The literal cost of business is massive in regards to sweat equity. Early stage entrepreneurs grapple with the ideas never quite sure who in the market is going to respond. Plus, we try and do everything ourselves meaning it takes 3x the time to create mediocre results. Mid-stage entrepreneurs have solidified their systems in a way that generates “break even” revenue. A lot of us try to pivot prematurely, which keeps us in the early stage so long that we run out of money or passion and quit. But, if this doesn’t happen and we can build momentum in the market, we can get to the growth stage of business. It stops being about us and what we want and the business informs us what it needs, we can respond with agility, and adapt to shifting markets. In the final stage, we sell off the business, for what many hope to be a hefty profit. Each stage comes with a cost. What is needed at every stage is a genuine relationship. We need customers that know us and that we know. We need to know our business and our brand identity. We have to form a healthy relationship with “debt” in regards to leveraging it. Two things are non-negotiable when advancing through theses stages:
That’s where I am going to end this blog article. The intention is to get you thinking about your next steps. There’s no formula homie. You are going to have to ask for help and knowing what to ask help for is the “magic sauce.” I’m here when you are ready to get spicy. REBEKAH FREEDOM 2024 SELECT THE BEST
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True Leadership:I'll do my best to write about real world issues that stress us out and provide solutions to manage life successfully. Archives
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