Who are you REALLY in competition with?
The biggest competition is myself. I am not looking to follow others or pull them down. I'm planning to test my own boundaries.”
Rain, South Korean singer, songwriter
About 4 years into the owning of my martial arts studio, I experienced, what I felt at the time was a true business crisis.
One evening, a friend and fellow martial arts instructor called me to tell me had a received a promotional fax (yes, this story happened a while ago) announcing the opening of a competitive martial arts school just a mile east of my school’s location.
Not only was this a competitive school, but it was part of the largest, most successful martial arts school chain not only in Denver, but in the entire country.
During his call, fear, anxiety and worry flooded my mind.
What was I to do? I had worked so hard to bring my business to a point where it was finally experiencing success and was that all going to go away?
How would my family and staff be impacted? Would I have to lay people off? Would I go out of business? Would my dream come to an end, just when I was getting started?
It was from this state of irrational panic that I called two of my martial arts business mentors to get their advice on how to handle this “horrific” situation. Even though I called them separately, they both responded in the same way.
After they listened to my story of gloom and doom, they let out a light chuckle, told me to take a breath and then, to a person, shared the same thing.
“Chris, there is nothing you can do about the other school. The only thing you have control over is you and your business."
I hung up the phone after both of those calls and pondered their words of wisdom. I soon came to the realization that they were correct. The only thing I could control was me and my business and so I decided to get to work.
As a result, I called an emergency meeting with my staff. I shared with them the impending arrival of our new neighbor. I could see by the looks on their faces concern and the worry overcoming them, so I said,
“Listen, there is nothing we can do about this school moving down the street, I can’t go beat up the instructor (at least legally), we can’t firebomb the place (there’s that legal thing again). But what we can do is to make sure that every aspect of our own operation is the very best we can make it.
We will do a better job answering the phones. This place will be the cleanest it has ever been. Our introductory lessons/enrollment conversations we be outstanding. Our classes will be the highest quality around.
And finally, in no way will not talk badly about the other school with those who ask us about it.”
BOOM!
As I once again looked into the eyes of my staff, I could see they had moved from fear and anxiety to determination and excitement. We all left that meeting with a new commitment to make the Family Martial Arts Center the very best it could possibly be.
So, what happened? Well, I am happy to report that over that next year, by focusing our team on being at the very top of our game, we experienced the greatest percentage in revenue growth (33%) in our school’s history. Additionally, due to our expansion, I was able to bring my top three staff members on full-time from their previous part-time positions.
What were the lessons learned?
- We are never really in competition with anyone but ourselves. There may be another “competitor” that may move into our area or sphere, but the greatest use of our energy is to focus on what we can do to make ourselves and our businesses the very best they can be. This does not mean ignoring what the competition is doing, but rather placing our main emphasis of focus on what WE can do.
- My “competitor” was actually an incredible gift. The injection of a new martial arts school in my area woke me up to the numerous ways I could improve myself, my staff and our business and it acted as a catalyst for us to take our school to heights we had never experienced.
- Focusing on what we were FOR (bringing our school to greatness) versus what we were AGAINST (taking on the competitive school) inspired me and my staff in ways we had never experienced before. It gave us direction and a purpose for being that had previously not existed.
This week, as you encounter potential difficulties in your in business, a situation at work or in your personal life, reflect on how you are showing up in the face of challenge.
Where is your focus when you and your team/family are tested and what can you do to lead yourself and others to growth, expansion and greatness when confronted with adversity?
Who are YOU really in competition with and what are you going to do about it?
Chris Natzke
Black Belt Leadership Speaking & Coaching
PS: If you are interested in experiencing a breakthrough in your life, business or relationships, schedule a 30-minute discover call with me to learn about my upcoming Breaking Through Coaching Program!