blogging-traitIn the last Blog Expert post in this mindset series we discussed clear thinking and ensuring everything we do each day fits in with our overall business direction.

In this post we explore one of the fundamental traits that many business owners ignore and that is ‘CHANGE’.

I was in a meeting with a customer recently, and he surprised me by stating with absolute confidence: “I don’t like change.”

Don’t like change?

Is that possible?

I paused for a moment and then queried his statement.

If he bought a winning lottery ticket, would that make him happy or sad?

There is the potential for change, on a mammoth scale.

If he was invited to pick up an award as a leader in his field of small business ownership, would he turn it down, preferring for things to stay the same?

My client thought about it for a while, and finally decided that winning the lottery or being nominated for an award would be fine. It wasn’t that he didn’t like positive change, he decided. It was just that he has always associated the word change with bad things.

Why do we need to accept change as business bloggers?

The ability to embrace change is fundamental for anyone who runs their own business.

Customers often commission work and then decide they want something different half way through. Service providers may leave us in the lurch after agreeing to deliver certain products, and industry rules and regulations may shift and alter half way through us deciding to work in a certain way, leaving us heading back to the proverbial drawing board to revise our approach.

Whichever way you look at it, working for ourselves still involves engaging a number of stakeholders and suppliers, and working with customers every day either face to face or online.

This means that we are always going to be at the mercy of other people’s demands and wishes, leaving us at times wondering how to stay ahead of the changes which our various relationships may send our way.

The ability to keep up with shifting demands will arm us against business failure, by giving us the techniques necessary to ‘go with the flow’, adapting and transforming our approach in line with external influences.

People who fail to adapt and change find themselves being left behind, as competitors innovate and alter to anticipate shifts in their industry, and static businesses fall by the wayside.

How to learn to embrace change as a small business owner

Becoming acceptance of change doesn’t involve a huge shift in mindset in order to radically alter your personality.

If you’re inherently a cautious person, there are still a number of things you can do to run with change with a positive outlook.

The following steps will support you to adapt to changes easily, without feeling insecure about heading off in new directions…

Understand the reason behind the change

Change happens for a reason, whether it is to adapt to industry regulations, gain more customers or increase your revenue. Knowing why you are making changes will help you to accept them.

Be proactive

Thinking of ways to change ahead of demand will support you to accept it, as you remain in control and have an active role in instigating it.

Watch the industry you work in

As circumstances and situations evolve around you, keep aware of what is taking place. This will make it easy for you to anticipate new directions for your business and meet the requirements of your customers without feeling as if you are falling out of your comfort zone.

Accept that change is inevitable

As a business blogger, you will always come in to situations that require shifts in thinking to improve your strategy and support evolution and growth, in a positive direction. Over time, you will get more accustomed to moving with the changes which come your way, understanding that it is part of running a successful business.

Previous posts in this blog expert series, the Six ‘C’s of blogging success :

Creativity

Confidence

Communication

Clear Thinking

How do you deal with change?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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