Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!

Remember that Friends episode where Ross bought a new couch and wanted to bring it up the stairs? Yes, the famous “Pivot!” scene. Since then, everyone knows the word pivot. But, it can have different meanings in different settings. In that particular Friends episode, it meant turning the couch in the stairwell. In basketball, it’s the action of stepping with one foot while keeping the other in contact with the floor. And in a business setting, it means changing opinions, decisions or even complete strategies to help your business grow.

You have to pivot from day 0 (not to sound too dramatic)

It might sound strange, but it’s true. When I started building LinkUpConferenceShow, I had to make changes from the very beginning, because trust me, not everything will go as you have planned (a little pandemic called Covid-19). When you build a company, you have to be flexible and able to react quickly to changes. When you’re too slow to adapt, you lose focus, customers, and most importantly, time. When you are just starting a business, you don’t have the privilege to postpone decisions. You have to stay on top and stay relevant.

So, it’s important when you’re starting out to have a small but trusted team of advisors around you. They can help you make decisions or give you tips on how to implement changes to your plan. Don’t know where to start getting those advisors? LinkUpConferenceShow is a great start!

Don’t think the problem will just fix itself (that would be too easy)

It’s a hard nut to crack, but when you see that something doesn’t work you have to stop trying to make it work. And sooner rather than later (remember, flexibility). You need to take a step back and analyze what is going wrong and how to change it. Get those advisors back in, put your team in a brainstorm and listen to different opinions. As an owner, you’re sometimes too close to the business to see what’s going wrong, so it’s good to get opinions and views from others.

But it’s important to remember that you have to make the final decision. People won’t make decisions for you, all they can do is advise.

Starting over is not easy, but sometimes it’s necessary (this one goes for life as well)

This is a hard one, especially when you work with a great team. They put so much time, energy, passion, and effort into the product, branding, and design — and suddenly you say, “Guys! We have to start all over.” It’s a complicated situation, but it’s necessary for your business and your customers. It may be hard to admit, but if people don’t buy your product, you won’t have a team or even a business anymore at the end of the ride.

So no matter how difficult it might look or feel, don’t be afraid to start over. It can bring new opportunities and make you and your business bigger and better.

Don’t be afraid to join forces (team work makes the dream work, right?)

You’re not in it alone. Next to having some advisors around you, you can also build great partnerships and connections. And like I said in my article about building a network, joining forces with people from another industry or outside your community can be rewarding. Right now, lots of companies are struggling and reevaluating what is possible. People who weren’t accessible before might consider new collaborations. Leave stereotypes behind you and embrace new realities. At LinkUpConferenceShow we’re all about building partnerships. As we build our new business networking conference, we’re teaming up with comedy clubs and theatres. Am I surprised? Yes. Life is full of surprises. And I love it!

Go online, do your research, find examples of partnerships in a similar industry and learn from them. And join LinkUpConferenceShow to meet your next partner!

What the future holds (even though I’m not a psychic)

People have to let go of the illusion that everything will go back to the way it was in 2019. The world is shifting (pivot!) and so are businesses. But this also means there are lots of opportunities. It’s time to take your business to the next level. With LinkUpConferenceShow we pivoted from an offline event to an online conference and we couldn’t be more excited!

Don’t be afraid of change and definitely don’t avoid it. I always say that there are 3 success factors when building a business (next to your product of course) — Decision-making abilities, velocity and flexibility. When you have those 3, you’re on the right path to success. Cheers!