“It’s impossible to create work that both matters and pleases everyone.”
– Seth Godin
When I came to live in Mexico City over fifteen years ago, we moved into an apartment with a sunny roof garden that needed some plants. We went to this famous outdoor garden center where the options of plants were sheer endless. So many beautiful plants, but I had no idea how to choose them. I know a bit about plants in my home country Austria, but those were completely different plants I knew nothing about. Mexico City’s altitude is remarkable and so is the solar radiation, therefore, we needed plants that could withstand the sun. Of course, I thought that the best thing to do is ask the gardeners there. But every time I asked if a plant was for sun or shade I got the same answer: “para sol y sombra” (for sun AND shade). I was confused but in the end, we bought what we were attracted to and brought the plants to their new home: our sunny roof garden. It didn’t take long to find out that most of the plants we bought couldn’t persevere the strong sun. They were clearly not made for the sun. Many business owners make the same mistake the gardeners did: they position their business (or products) as “Sun AND Shade”. This will lead to confused and not very satisfied customers. We can never be the best option for everyone. But we can cover very well the needs certain customers have. Being afraid of losing some sales is the reason why so many businesses are afraid of taking a clear stance. At first glance, taking a clear position might seem scary. But if we don’t state who we serve best, we do lose customers anyway. If we make a clear statement we will be rejected by some, but ultimately we can attract those who really care, those who are the right customers for us. We are able to do our best work with them. And because of this, those satisfied customers are the ones who will help us spread our message. So don’t go for sun AND shade in your business, have the courage to go for sun OR shade. You AND your customers will be rewarded for it.
