Opportunity Comes from Many Places; Listen for It!

Opportunity knocks more than once, contrary to the old adage. If you don’t grab an offer when it first appears, so the old saying goes, you’ll regret it because it will never come again. That’s just wrong. If you listen for opportunity and don’t grab it when it comes, you will have other chances as long as you keep listening.

Many people fear jumping at the first opportunity. It can lead to inertia and penalize you if you have any fears or doubts or lingering questions. But fear is a basic human instinct that allows us to survive. Doubts lead to more inspiration that provides even better opportunities. And questions give pause to answers.

Opportunity doesn’t knock just once in your life, but again and again. You just need to pay attention and closely listen for opportunity. And when you believe the time is right — take the leap, embrace the risk and reap the rewards.

Second Chances of 2019 Prove the Point

2019 was a year filled with second (and third and fourth) chances. Consider this short list of lost chances that led (or may lead) to greater success:

• Despite trade wars and a presidential impeachment, which many thought would tank the U.S. economy, the stock market fared better than it has since 1997. Your 401(k), IRA and total financial portfolio fared best if you let your money ride after the great recession and gave the market its second chance.
• Burger King has always carried a veggie burger that never really hit its stride for the company. But the fast food giant kept listening for opportunity and in 2019, launched the plant-based Impossible Whopper that proved a big win for the chain.
• New York City closed the door on Amazon’s HQ2 in 2019 and didn’t listen for opportunity, instead listening to the fear of potential obstacles. But Arlington, VA kept its mind open and now has a second chance of becoming an even bigger fulfillment hub for the online retail giant.
• Big retailers that previously made fortunes selling guns leapt at their second chance to make America safer by taking many of the most dangerous guns off their shelves.
• Boeing tried to listen for opportunity by relying on their tech teams to manufacture new software for their 737 MAX and lost. By the end of the year, they are supremely positioned to make it right and go for a second chance with new leadership.
• And big tech, from Google to Facebook, faced enormous challenges in 2019 that cost them dearly. Learning from their gaffs, they all now have a second chance to get their privacy measures up to snuff, and they’re already making changes.

And though it may not have been so groundbreaking, consider your own failures and how you succeeded in 2019. When you listen for opportunity again and again, you may have found that you:

• Signed more clients despite the losses you sustained
• Boosted your staff and raised pay to keep talented employees
• Created marketing strategies that finally paid off
• Invented new ways to deliver your goods and services
• Encouraged innovation in the goods and services you offer
• Continued to keep your doors open

Listen for Opportunities in 2020

Gamblers often say that if you leave the casino with the same amount of cash that you started with, you’re a winner. In the world of tech and small business, if you stayed in business through 2019, you’re a winner. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), 30 percent of startups fail during their first two years of operation. 50 percent last five years and 66 percent go down before they reach the 10-year mark.

So you have plenty of reason to be optimistic if you’re still open for business! Watch trends, listen for opportunity from places that may have made you uncomfortable in the past and expect success. Attitude, after all, still plays a huge role in the success of your second (and third and fourth) tries. A few trends to watch in 2020 as you listen for opportunity to grow your business include:

• Big business will continue to spend on IT, with outsourcing reaching record highs.
• Tech trends that will continue to climb, especially in the areas of mobile computing, artificial intelligence, automation, social media, customer reviews, remote working, managed IT to resist an onslaught of hacking and user-friendly content that speaks the language of your customers.
• With more bargaining power, expect the call for personalized customer service from clients who refuse to be put on hold and listen to AI for answers.
• The short story will evolve as the king of marketing, bowing to the shortened attention spans of customers who want to understand your product or service, enjoy the story-telling aspect of a pitch and want all that in a flash.
• More and more workers will join the gig economy and offer services on an as-needed basis. You can listen for opportunity and join the gig nation or look for exceptional talent in that population instead of hiring full or part-time employees.
• With unemployment expected to remain low for the foreseeable future in 2020, expect workers to look for more perks and reasons to be happy with their employers. You’re going to have to meet those expectations or continue to experience worker shortages.
• Video and voice will be bigger than ever as 5G emerges worldwide in 2020. Talk to your customers more as you listen for opportunity. They’ll tell you what they want if you listen!

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business to succeed. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters, and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.