By Anthony Hilb
The rules are constantly being destructed and constructed.
As children, we were warned about the dangers of breaking the rules, and we were punished once we broke the rules. Yet something was missing: We weren’t constantly warned about the dangers of following every rule. Learning when to follow the rules and when to break the rules is the key.
Destruction happens when we break the rules in order to implement new ideas. The communities who embraced computers and the internet are examples of these rule breakers.
Construction happens when we maintain and build off of those new ideas by following a new set of rules. The group who has helped evolve computers and the internet are examples of rule followers.
Here’s the catch: The people who have helped evolve computers and the internet are also rule breakers because they had to break some rules in order to make improvements. Making improvements is a series of following rules that work while breaking rules that no longer make sense.
In business, you often cannot s
tart building before you do some destruction. Sometimes an old building isn’t even worth renovating; it must be knocked down in order to construct a better building in its place. But renovating an idea can also pay off. Dreamweaver made coding easier. WordPress made the entire process of building a basic website easier.
Destruction is taking place in order to construct better buildings. When free advertising on the internet replaced much of the paid advertising that took place in news papers, we saw this pattern. When cell phones replaced answering machines and cord phones, destruction and construction were taking place.
Sunset industries can still be used to our advantage, but we must notice where to focus the majority of our construction work. The majority of our building will benefit us more when we embrace and understand the newest technologies.
But there’s a problem: Technology is growing at an exponential rate. Many of us can no longer rely on the 30-year career path and the life of an average business is shorter unless they continuously evolve and launch successful subsidiaries.
Because of these fast changes, starting multiple microbusinesses in a lifetime will be a common occurrence in the future. With a microbusiness, you can keep up with these changes quickly. Adapting with a microbusiness is often easier than adapting with a bigger business. Folding and launching microbusinesses can also be executed quickly and smoothly.
Evolving technology makes it easier to launch microbusinesses. Small teams are creating more of an impact than they once were. Mojang AB (makers of Minecraft) profited $90 million in 2012, yet they only had 29 employees! Instagram only had 13 employees when they sold to Facebook for $1 billion!
Destruction and construction in the business world are both happening faster than ever. Be sure to consider the power and potential of starting microbusinesses!