There have been a lot of lessons that I’ve learned over the years of running a business.
One that has been interesting is allowing clients to push the business into new directions.
Almost every time when this happens I initially push back. A new client will be interested in our services. That gets me excited. But then they start asking if we do other things. Sometimes it’s related and sometimes it isn’t. But almost every time it makes me feel uncomfortable.
I’ve learned that it’s worth leaning into these situations…
Now, most of the time the new effort won’t be profitable right away. Or if it is profitable, it won’t allow for a lot of profit. This is almost always due to the fact that the new product or service doesn’t have an efficient process. I have to scramble to figure out if we can even provide what the client wants. And even after that initial scramble we have to figure out how to do it.
So there are a lot of inefficiencies that go into it. That all costs money. And sometimes the client may end up not getting what they want and that doesn’t make anybody feel good. So you want to be upfront about that aspect.
But what does happen sometimes is that you discover that there is potential in new offerings. Or you might have a client that pushes you to do something in a new or different way. This can lead to a better offering and a better overall business. Initially, it takes time to figure it out, but the long-term benefit can be great.
On the other side, there will be times when the push for the new isn’t good. It’s costly and draining at first and there is no potential for a future. So you eventually stop what you’re doing and get back to business as normal. This can deter you from going through it again in the future.
But you have to avoid that feeling.
You don’t want to allow too many clients to push you to try new things. Especially not at the same time. But you do want to allow for new testing. Almost every business has needed to change and adapt at some point. For startups, this usually happens quite frequently in the early years. And mature businesses also need to go through it.
There is really no way around this idea of testing in business. Nobody has a way to see into the future. We have thoughts and ideas, but you need to test things and get data before you can make really big bets for the future.
So allow your clients and customers to push you once in awhile. It’s a great indicator that there is at least some demand for something different. Most of the time it probably won’t work out. That will be tiring. It will cost some money.
But once in awhile you’ll stumble upon a big win. And that’s what going into business is all about.