Answer the Door, Your Opportunities Are Knocking

Opportunities come and go in every industry, but why is it that a few people get their pick of the crop, while others get a crack at the leftovers…if at all. Let’s first look at some of the things it takes to score a decent business opportunity.

Some of the keys to steadily landing business opportunities include hard work, maintaining a positive attitude, and never giving up…ever. Toss in answering phone calls promptly, honesty, integrity and realistic pricing, and you have a good foundation for opportunity hunting. These are all good qualities for entrepreneurs like us.

I believe there are two additional reasons for success in business that are even more important than those listed above. The first is getting yourself in the position to take advantage of opportunities that will come along …and they will. In a sense, you are helping make your own opportunities, or at least increasing your chances for them. The second is not being afraid to grab that opportunity while it is still available to you.

Getting yourself in a position to take advantage of opportunities may mean getting proper experience with another company while you refine your own opportunities’ wish list. You’ll probably also need to take the classes that will help you become the professional in your field you have always wanted to be, and of course you’ll need to secure the right licenses for the areas in which you intend to work.

Every step in the process will lead to bigger and better opportunities for you and your company. But every step will also take lots of your time – perhaps years. It will take patience you didn’t know you had, stick-to-itiveness that your friends and relatives can’t understand, and a well-defined goal which is that dream position that keeps driving you, the one you can see in your mind’s eye. If you don’t have that, chances are you will bail midway through the process kissing those opportunities goodbye.

It may also mean starting out in a partnership while you learn the ins and outs of the business end of things. Once that is achieved, you can now begin and grow YOUR COMPANY, not someone else’s.

This is a very brief outline of how one can get themselves into the position where great opportunities exist. Add to this help and ideas from your family circle of friends and associates (see last month’s column), membership in CLCA and other trade organizations, and the development of a knowledgeable and dependable office and counter staff. A little prayer wouldn’t hurt either.

I went through a similar process building Landscape Warehouse from an idea to an opportunity-filled reality. If you already have a thriving business, then you experienced many of the same steps getting there. If you are new in the field or just can’t seem to break through to the next level, adopting some of these steps will definitely help.

The final to-do in your opportunities hunt is grabbing it and making that opportunity your own. But not before you do plenty of research first, which might include some test marketing. Check all the boxes, is this service needed? Is it needed here? How will it affect my other sites or current client base? If you do your homework, acting on this opportunity is not taking a chance, but rather it’s taking a well-calculated risk which should be the basis for every business decision.

Surprisingly, many entrepreneurs who get to this point get cold feet, watching their competitor snap up that opportunity and make it a success. You need to believe you are a winner and be willing to act on that belief, or you will never be one.

With the recent opening of our 9th Landscape Warehouse location, we continue growing our company. We’re now in Bakersfield and welcome the opportunity to share our winning ways and services with the landscapers and gardeners of that city and surrounding areas. We are located at 717 E. Brundage Lane, Bakersfield; (661) 800-4360. Next time you’re in the area, stop by and say hello to our friendly and knowledgeable staff. You may just find your next big opportunity there.

– José Robles, owner, Landscape Warehouse