Life isn’t like Field of Dreams. Just because you build something it doesn’t mean anyone will use it.
Just because you open a business, create a killer product, offer top-notch consulting services at competitive prices, or incorporate yourself doesn’t mean that people will flock to give you money. The fact is that most businesses fail because of their marketing and sales.
Can business success lead to business failure?
Yes. I’ve allowed it to happen.
Five years removed from my time at one business, I had time to do an autopsy. Here is what I learned.
A few months ago, Chris LoCurto posted about what he calls the clarify paradox. The question he asked is:
Why don’t successful people and organizations automatically become very successful?
He then presented four stages which moderately successful business often go through:
Phase 1: When we really have clarity of purpose, it leads to success.
Phase 2: When we have success, it leads to more options and opportunities.
Phase 3: When we have increased options and opportunities, it leads to diffused efforts.
Phase 4: Diffused efforts undermine the very clarity that led to our success in the first place.