Eyes on the Road, Not in the Mirror
Every business starts with energy and clarity... eyes fixed on where they’re going. But somewhere along the way, many start looking down. They get comfortable. They start adjusting the radio, admiring the seats, checking the mirrors.
Meanwhile, the road keeps moving.
Markets shift. New technologies appear. Consumer behavior evolves. What worked last year suddenly doesn’t. And those still staring at their dashboards end up wondering what happened as someone else speeds by.
You see it all the time.
Companies that have been around for decades, even a century, "suddenly" run out of road. Not because they weren’t capable, but because they stopped looking ahead.
And on the flip side, you see brand-new startups that appear from nowhere... eyes locked on the future, building billion-dollar ideas while the rest are still polishing their dashboards.
That’s how evolution happens in business. Not from perfection, but from direction.
At Wealthy Affiliate, we’ve lived this reality for nearly two decades. The road has changed more times than we can count... but the reason we’re still here, still growing, is because we never stopped looking ahead.
So keep your eyes on the road. That’s where opportunity lives.
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Recent Comments
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I think this is very true and is actually necessary for human evolution. If we ever stopped wanting to experience 'more' or 'better' then we would all shrivel up, which is what happens to these companies. This is important in every aspect of life too. Keep pushing to be the best you can be in all things. Thanks for the reminder. Have a great week. Gail
Absolutely, and to me it is unbelievable how many people do become complacent as they get older and stop learning. Get out of your comfort zone, learn something new, stop dwelling on the past, and work hard to build a smarter, and more successful version of you in the future. That is always my recommended approach.
I hope you are having an awesome week!
I am. Going out of my comfort zone and I'm in a play for the first time in 30 years. I've done loads of shows in that time but I've always been the director. Treading the boards again is something different.
Necessity is the mother of all inventions. When behemoths stop solving the new problems as they arise, that leaves opportunity for the newcomers like us to solve the problems.
I just read an article about the FinTech industry. Their number one metric is NOT THE CUSTOMER! Their #1 Metric is PRODUCT ADOPTION. They do not care about the customer as much as they do about sucking you into a new product.
For someone with a solid financial background, this could be one of those opportunities. Care for the customer first, and they will tell you what products they want.
Eyes forward, ALWAYS!
Absolutely, that is a great insight here Don. You have to build something that people want to adopt and use, and if you don't accomplish this then your business will be dead in that water. This can be driven by the feedback and the wants and needs of your audience....and is always evolving (in particular in this industry).
Hi Kyle!
Absolutely , we have to focus on the road and keep looking ahead so that we are aware of any changes that happen and be ready to take the necessary actions to stay ahead of the curve.
Great advice! Thanks for sharing! Wishing you the very best!
Kind regards,
Nichola
This reminds me of the first video game company I worked for from 1988 to 1995. We were big time game developers for Atari then Nintendo and Sega, developing games for other companies as well as our own brand.
Then in 1992 we were approached by some of these other companies who wanted us to start developing games for the Sony Playsation. The executives of the company didn't foresee the huge potential Playstation was going to be.
So they decided to stick by Nintendo and Sega development and thought the Playstation market wouldn't be as big as everyone was saying it would. Well we all know now how popular Playstation has become. By 1995 the company went out of business.
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Hi Kyle, your metaphor of the road illustrates well what many entrepreneurs experience, namely the temptation of the mission accomplished and the immediate enjoyment of the fruit, without realizing that the opportunity is moving. I realize how vital it is to keep an eye on evolving uses and emotions. Thank you Kyle, for this strategic and inspiring reminder.
So the question for me is how do you help entrepreneurs stay forward-looking without getting lost in the frenzy of trends or tools? What cues do you use to stay focused on direction rather than distraction?
We do this by giving people a proper ""game plan" to build a business. People tend to try something, and when anything gets hard they seek another solution....but that is going to happen in any business (as business always gets hard).
Nothing worth achieving is "easy". So we provide people within an environment where we teach people the process, and help them understand and be real with the process of creating success (there are ups and downs, and it requires people to be persistent and keep pushing forward).
Thanks Kyle
Any time!