Business is a roller coaster. It will be up and down with twists and turns all along the way. But it’s your choice to close your eyes and scream or jump in the front seat and enjoy the ride. The ticket’s been punched, you’ve waited in line, now it’s time to make the most of the business roller coaster!
Climb & Ascend
Just as the roller coaster needs to climb that first hill to convert potential energy into kinetic energy, we need to ascend our way to the top of our business. No business was ever created by snapping one’s fingers. Every business started with an idea or concept that escalated into something bigger. We need the steady scaling of determination in order to appreciate the view from the top. The reward will be so much sweeter if you actually earned it.
The climb is where we’re building our strategies, ordering products, making business plans, hiring employees, and anticipating it all coming together.
Highs
The high points of business are fun while they last but it’s up to us to conserve some of that exuberance for the next hill. It’s easy to get consumed with the high points, which is oftentimes what leads to the low points. When business is booming, we tend to be less vigilant and stop marketing as much, minimize our research efforts, and assume that customers don’t need to hear from us as often. But this is actually the time that we need to assess what got us to this high point so we can stay there.
The high is when we reflect on what got us to the top. Time for some analytics and assessments. What’s been working and why?
Twists and Turns
Just as roller coasters wouldn’t be thrilling without twists, a business wouldn’t continue to thrive without turns. Nothing ever stays the same. Ever. The world is full of overachievers and developers who are constantly forcing us to take those turns. It’s time to be susceptible to the changes that lie ahead because they’re coming whether we like it or not. Remember that day you realized that your phone replaced your laptop, which replaced your desktop, which replaced your filing cabinet?
Twists and turns are when we offer some new products or services and switch up our marketing strategies. We must stay relevant to be successful. Ride the trendy train.
Stagnant
There will always be stagnant times in your business; where it’s not growing, but it’s not declining either. Have you ever been on a roller coaster that has so many twists and turns that you can’t tell when you’re upside down or right-side up anymore? Eventually, you can’t even feel the anticipation of the next hill. We need that horizontal stretch to catch our breath.
The stagnant section is where we catch up on all the small things. Update your contact list, mail the invoices, stock up on supplies, and take a nap, but just a short one!
Downs and Lows
Nothing teaches us more than the low points. When we feel our business slowing down or reaching an all-time low, we know it’s time to grow. The ride down can be fast and scary. It sometimes feels like we might just crash, but we don’t. Eventually, we level off and hang out at the bottom for a while, or immediately start to ascend. You can choose to close your eyes and scream; throw your hands in the air and let whatever happens, happen; or jump in the front seat of that train and be the first to head back up!
Being all the way down teaches us to do better. Perhaps we let our guard down. Maybe we weren’t trendy enough. This is where we learn. This is where we grow. There’s nowhere to go but up!
Whether you choose to board the slightly bumpy or the fully twisted and upside down business roller coaster, you can’t get off in the middle. You must stay seated (and level-headed) for the entire ride.