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Do you like change?

I love change.  I would almost be tempted to call myself a change junkie.  I see change as a challenge, something to be excited by.

There are others however who do not like change.  They see change as a threat, and therefore something to be avoided.

Business owners spend much of their time thinking about other people.  Running a small business can be a lonely experience, as you spend much of your time thinking about the concerns and wellbeing of others – your customers, your staff, and your cash position. 

It might be a generalisation, but I do think that most business owners (or entrepreneurs as we are sometimes called) are the type to thrive on change.  The desire to set up a business in the first place is often driven by a desire to ‘do it properly’ i.e. to change current practice to one that the new business owner feels is an improvement.

The business then, hopefully, succeeds, perhaps even thrives.  It starts making profit, it achieves its objectives.  What happens next?

This, I believe, is where we find one of the biggest risks facing the successful small business owner – they get a little bored.  They want to change something.  Perhaps they look for a new product line, or maybe start a second business.

This can, of course, be successful.  However, in all too many occasions, this involves change for its own sake, affecting customers and staff, diluting focus, and taking the owners attention off the main business, which is the one that is making money.

My suggestion to such a business owner would be to resist the feeling of boredom until change is appropriate.  Control this timescale by ensuring the business has strong systems and processes, by including staff to reduce the fear factor.  Make sure the business can continue without your undivided attention, allowing you the freedom to pursue the next brilliant idea.

Change should be carefully thought through.  A business plan is just as important for a new product line or service as it is for a new business.