why pivoting is hard
everything you create is your “baby.” whether it be your career or your company or even your relationships, you must nurture and care for it in order for it to grow.
when your baby starts to change… no, when you realize that baby has to change in order to best serve the world, it hurts you a bit inside. you get that feeling that your baby could be more than what it is today.
it’s bothersome.
but you see the light at the end of the tunnel. you have the opportunity to create an even better, stronger baby that can contribute more.
here’s an analogy… you’re working on a piece of pottery. you’ve shaped and molded it to your exact specifications. you set the kiln to 1000ºF and solidify the clay. then, you paint. using the prettiest, most expensive colors, you have morphed the cold, wet clay into a gorgeous little bowl.
the piece looks fantastic, and it’s time to bring it to the trade show. unfortunately, no one seems as happy about it as you are. what’s wrong with my pottery? should i be telling people about it, drawing attention to it? why aren’t people naturally gravitating toward it?
a woman glances at the piece then proceeds to walk by your table. you’re devastated. you stop her and ask why the piece didn’t attract her attention.
she says, “it’s pretty and it actually did catch my eye, but it’s much too small for me to do anything with it.”
taking this knowledge back to your booth, you start taking notes on how people are viewing the piece and what feedback they have for you.
ultimately, it turns out you had the whole design wrong. you are still meant to be a potter because you make great pieces, but you must shift direction. after attending the trade show where there were thousands of people in your target market in attendance, no one bought your favorite piece. you’re shocked.
you take a step back and realize that your product didn’t fit your audience’s goals or wants. it wouldn’t have provided them value, had they bought it.
but now, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. with all this feedback and information about what went wrong, you can pivot in the direction that helps you prioritize your fans and customers. next time you make a piece, you’ll make a bigger piece that allows for some functionality for your customers.
pivoting is hard. you have to flip your baby and recreate it — sometimes from the ground up. but that’s all part of the journey.
from idea to reality, you and your baby will learn and grow, ever-shifting. as long as you’re realigning your baby to fit your customers’ desires and goals, just realize that the next version of your baby will be stronger and serve the world better than ever before. as will your next… and your next… and your next… because you’ll never stop nurturing your baby.
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