Harnessing Change for Your Business Advantage

Can your business thrive amidst unpredictability? Join Ed Drozda on 'The Water Trough' as he explores how to leverage government and environmental changes to your benefit. Let's build healthier businesses together! 
#Entrepreneurship #BusinessAdvice

Episode Transcript

(00:10):
Welcome to The Water Trough,where we can't make you drink,
but we will make you think.
My name is Ed Drost of The SmallBusiness Doctor, and I'm really
excited you chose to join mehere as we discuss topics that
are important for small businessfolks just like you.
If you're looking for ideas,inspiration, and possibility,
you've come to the right place.
Join us as we take steps to helpyou create the healthy business
that you've always wanted.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo (00:43):
Welcome back to the water trough.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mi (00:44):
This is Ed Drost of the Small
Business Doctor.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (00:47):
One of the big things that is on my
mind today is what the future isfor us in terms of the upcoming
changes in.
Presidential administration andthe state to state, elections
that are out there.
And this is not a referendum onthe individuals per se.
It's a conversation that's goingto be.

(01:08):
Looking at the fact that everyfour years we have this major
change.
Every two years, we have thislesser change to some degree
anyway, that is the members ofCongress.
There's much to be said for thefact that these things do impact
us.
Business is by default, subjectto the ramifications of

(01:31):
governmental regulation,governmental oversight.
Who are we kidding anyway?
When we got into this businessthing, we knew very well that
there are factors outside of ourcontrol.
Government regulations andoversight
are merely just some of the factors
that are outside of our controland impact how we do our
business.
The thing that's important about the

(01:52):
government regulation andoversight, in my opinion, is
that they're so subject tochange, and because they're
political in nature, theramifications are predicated
upon, or often more upon, theacquisition of power and the
ability to maintain it.
We are sitting in our own littlespaces, our own little

(02:15):
businesses, our single personoffices or companies with 10,
15, 100, 000 or more people, andwe're trying to discern what's
right for and what's best forus.
And we're being subjected tothese external forces, which are
ever changing and have, quitefrankly, their own agenda.

(02:38):
The key here is that We forgetor we lose sight, I believe,
that the changes that are beingmade in the government are not
sufficient to blunt or tooverride that which we're
capable of accomplishing.
Yes, if unnecessary regulationsincrease our cost of doing

(03:00):
business considerably, That isgoing to have an impact, but
it's not like we didn't knowabout those things.
It's not like we couldn'tanticipate them.
We expect maybe things willchange for the better with
changes of administration,

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mi (03:15):
With changes in Congress..

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (03:16):
But the truth is, we don't know
what's going to happen.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mi (03:19):
What we do know is that if our
business is going to go on, thenas with life, it has to go on,
we have to embrace and acceptthe fact that there's going to
be a multiplicity ofenvironmental factors, factors,
completely outside of ourcontrol over which we're going
to have to assert our ownmeasure of authority and

(03:43):
competence.
No, I'm not suggesting that wecan ignore the fact that an
increase in regulation willincrease our cost of doing
business.
No, I can't ignore the fact thatpolicies can prevent us from
achieving some of the goals wehad in mind.
No, I'm not suggesting we canstick our heads in the sand like

(04:05):
ostriches

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (04:06):
And pretend it's not happening.
It just doesn't go away.
Which, by the way, is not true.
Ostriches, that is.
They do not stick their head inthe sand.
They, in fact, lay down on theground and kind of pretend
they're dead.
Somewhat like the opossum does.
Anyway, what I'm trying to sayis

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mi (04:24):
that we can accept that which we can
control.
And we can acknowledge the factthat there are many things that
we cannot.
I think the same thing goes forour day to day personal life.
I've been hearing repeatedly vote
based upon the response to thisquestion.
Are you better off today thanyou were four years ago?

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Micr (04:46):
To me, that's a very.
Thinly veiled stab.
Okay, I'll just leave it atthat.
But here's the point I will saythis much my life in my bubble
in my little world has notchanged dramatically Over

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (05:05):
the last eight years.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo (05:07):
There's been a lot of talk about change.
There's been a lot of attitudeabout change.
There's been a lot of thingsthat personally have distracted
me.
from what really matters.
Things that have taken my mindoff what I should be doing, what
I can be doing, and have left mein a state of being less capable

(05:30):
than I should be.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Mic (05:30):
And yet, despite that, over these
last eight years, and all thisdistraction that has occurred in
this period of time, all thedistractions been experienced,
all of the taking my mind offwhat matters, still, I can't say
that my life has beensignificantly impacted.

(05:52):
Now that's just one person, andone business.

Microphone (Yeti Stereo Micr (05:56):
My point is this, we can stand by,
listen to everybody else, whateveryone else says, all the
things that we're being told,assign blame to the media,
assign blame to the government,assign blame to this and that.
If we're not taking fullresponsibility for the things
that we have control over, ifwe're not taking those steps

(06:17):
that are within our control,then we are simply wasting our
time and opportunity.
on trying to discuss or manageor make sense out of these
external factors because thosefactors will remain.
It's not the fact that they'rethere.

(06:39):
The fact that matters is whatare we Going to do with them
that I believe is the key So I'mgonna step off my soapbox now
because I do believe I actuallyam on my soapbox And this is not
a place that I tend to go, butI'm gonna leave you with this
thought I'm gonna ask you if youhave in fact taken control of

(07:02):
the things that you can controlI'm gonna ask you to consider
whether or not theseEnvironmental, and I mean
environmental as things outsideof your own control.
If these factors have takencontrol of you, are they
interfering with your ability todo what you are able to do?
And to do those things best.

(07:23):
If you don't see these things,if you don't acknowledge it and
or recognize these things, youcan't possibly take action to
improve upon the conditions thatyou're enduring.
So my challenge to you is this,,ask those questions, answer
those questions.
And if you find yourself in aposition where you are letting

(07:47):
these environmental factorsImpede your ability to do what
is right and what is best foryou and your business.
Take steps to put things in theplace where they belong.
This is Ed Draws with a SmallBusiness Doctor and here at The
Water Trough I want to wish youa healthy business.
And I do believe that healthybusiness is very possible.