Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Looking for opportunities

Know what you do. Know who you are. Look with an open mind at what businesses might benefit from what you do. And don't just look at the same old lists.

There is something you do that lots of companies need. They have problems that they need to solve that you can solve for them. There is a moment when their ongoing situation turns into a problem: that is what my friend Michael Josefowicz of Parsons Design School calls "the moment of pain". That's when they need you and you need to be there for them.

The chances of you stumbling into them at that exact moment are miniscule. So you have to be there, around them, before that, understanding their situation and being ready when that moment of pain hits them. When they arrive at the moment of pain they are usually not going to start doing the research. Usually they will have some people they already think will be right for them and they will pull from that universe. You need to be on that list.

So understand who might need you, understand their situation and understand what their moment of pain is likely to be. Be in their lives. So when that moment hits them you will be there and ready.

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