Do you ever feel constrained from growing your business due to lack of time, traffic, world events, or something else? Then, you should be happy because constraints are often advantages in disguise.
In Strategy, constraints often force you to do things differently -- which gives you a competitive advantage.
Here are six real-life examples:
The constraint of starting a beer brand with no brand power and marketing budget forced Karan Bilimoria to figure out an innovative way to reach consumers. The result: Cobra Beer's fast growth.
The constraint of not having enough funds to build restaurants despite having a good recipe forced Harland Sanders to franchise his secret recipe to Pete Harman. The result: Kentucky Fried Chicken's rapid expansion.
The constraint of not being able to compete with IBM and Compaq's economies of scale forced Steve Jobs to focus on design to differentiate Macintosh. The result: Apple's enduring focus on design.
The constraint of living in China and not finding any information regarding China on the internet gave Jack Ma the impetus to start a website about China. The result: the multi-billion dollar Alibaba.
The constraint of not having the typical actor look forced Sylvester Stallone to write his own story where he could be the main actor. The result: Rocky, the highest-grossing movie of that year.
The constraint of racial barriers for black artists forced Michael Jackson to incorporate dancing and narrative in his music videos. The result: Redefinition of the entire music industry.
So, instead of getting upset about what you don't have, start looking at your constraints like problems that require intelligent problem-solving. From there, you will make a great strategy. Instead of complaining, embrace your limitations, do deep thinking, and seize the day with a Winning Strategy. What constraints do you have, that will force you to be better?
Continue to explore the secrets of Winning Strategy here.
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