On my travels, I was delighted to spend some time in peaceful New Hampshire at my mother's place, enjoying time reading and staring at a view of a calm lake, home to a number of loons and a somewhat secretive turtle.
One of the stories that particularly grabbed me in my reading was the story of Polyface Farm in Virginia, which I discovered in the Omnivore's Dilemma. (pictured above, image: spicy bear) The amazing beauty of this farm comes from the fact that each component of the farm nourishes all the others. To see what I mean more specifically, check out this video telling some of the farm's story.
This got me to thinking about business, as nearly everything does. One of the tenets of Polyface's philosophy is that health comes from allowing the farm's animals to follow their own nature and building the system around their instincts and preferences.
What if success was the natural state of business, and any bumps in the road or setbacks were based on trying to force the market, and the world to accommodate to your business's ideas and methods?
The market we are all working in now changes constantly and its nature is powerful and strong. What if we were to take on the belief that there is a logic to the market's nature and that we simply need to learn how to create a business that supports it's natural character? Then we can achieve healthy symbiosis between the two.
A bit on the philosophical end, but it is often these sorts of shifts that can be the most powerful advances in business. My mentor, Vanessa Summers, often says that business success is 80% psychology. That's a big number, and I do agree with her.
How can you support the healthy equilibrium of your business's relationship to the market this week? What if you saw the market as a cow or a chicken on your farm and cared for it, trying to meet its needs the best you could?
Perhaps you'll see a big jump in what it gives back to you. After all, making friends with the market and it's needs is never a bad idea.
Let us know what you find and what you think... we'd love to hear your thoughts and responses in the comments below.
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