No Shortcuts to Success, No Matter How They Seem. Business Can Always Backfire.

Winning the lottery or designing the next Instagram is a fate of few. Let’s face it. Mark Zuckerberg isn’t going to drop a billion dollars in your lap. Facebook just capitalized on an exorbitant investment promising profit on all sides after noticing a trend increase on the news feeds. On the flip side, this has got companies like Kodak in a spin of shaking fists toward Silicon Valley while screaming, “Why didn’t we come up with this first?”

So apps and services catch the fancy of those who rule Cupertino and Palo Alto. While Zuckerberg and the ghost of Steve Jobs continue to sign huge paychecks, it isn’t always a measure of success. Businesses have to continue to find ways to reinvent and reintroduce their products to stay ahead of the times and the competition in order to establish relevance. Think of it was an artist or band with a number one hit trying to keep up with a sophomore album. Basically, once you’ve stood out, staying around is almost twice as hard as getting there in the first place.

Sometimes things really just don’t work out. For example, General Motors recently announced that they are cutting $10 million from their advertising budget toward Facebook. Having finally turned a profit, the auto giant has decided that those little boxes on the side just aren’t getting the conversions in between pokes and blocked friend requests. GM has also pulled their advertisements from the 2013 Super Bowl. Aiming toward a lean and more practical approach toward promoting their cars, sometimes it’s wise to pull back if a return on investment seems entirely circumstantial. On the other hand, some swear social media will take over all marketing. Always keep the prime focus on service. Not everything Apple and Facebook sign on will prove to be successful, but they’ve got more room to make mistakes than the overwhelming majority of businesses do.

As Kobe Bryant says in a viral shoe commercial on YouTube, “You must keep your defense, offensive.” While the quote is a joke, there is still a truth to it that speaks volumes. To bring out the best in your business, go through all the processes of the creation from the incorporation to getting a toll free number all the way to customer service, as if you’re never going to be bought out by a big business or an investor. Find your self sufficiency and focus on bringing the best service.