In business You can’t be a giant killer if you are not wrestling with giants

So often people have visions to be the next Facebook or the next MTN or whichever business is close to their reality. We picture ourselves slaying the giants of business, getting profits that many can only read about and becoming business icons that others aspire to stand on their shoulders. Such dreams are relegated to the dust bins when we fail to adhere to an understanding of simple principles.

1. You cant slay a giant if you cant live to their standards

A company such as McDonald has standards which make them not only profit making but also very competitive. You cannot just walk into Emirates’ space and think you can reach up to their standards. It takes time, careful planning and legitimate standardization with full blown commitment. You can’t slay a giant or even compete with a giant if you don’t understand what their standard is. It is either you match it or you go beyond it. Matching it makes you into a copy cat meaning you are always trying to catch up and that is a lot of work. You need to surpass their standard for you to be recognized as a giant.

Your standards are your basic weapon of choice, these standards can include things such as

Efficiency
Effectiveness
Employee Well being
Product quality
Service quality

Until your business can live up to these standards you will find it hard to compete in the market.

2. Giants trample on small players pretending to be giants

In the business world there is no such thing as pretending to be a giant. You either are a giant or you are not. The swag that WeChat carries cannot be compared to Whatsapp or any other chat service. WeChat is a commercial giant and does not play with small players. Giants are not found making alliances with small players they either buy them or simply trade them out of business. If you are going to compete with the likes of Rio Tinto then be prepared to sink 5 billion dollars into an investment and only start reaping the rewards after 3-5 years. You can’t pretend to be a giant if you are not able to go the long haul. Business is not about pretending it is about being there, being visible and being able to compete in the market. Giants trample on small players not because it is intended but because they are always looking up and not down.

If you are a small business starting up then you need to have an edge which is ahead of the big boys. Snapchat is not not a gimmick it is a strategy that a small player came up with to be able to survive in the social media plane where only big boys can survive in the long run.

3. In the big league be prepared for relegation

With the closure of companies like Enron or Lehman Brothers, it is clear that there is always a relegation from the league if your game is not up to standard. Never take it for granted that just because you are doing well in a season that the whole year will be fine. Always have a reserve for when the season is not so good. The giants know that it will not always be rosy and to stay in the business world as a major corporate you have to compete like a giant. Anyone can be relegated. You need to move with the times, always innovating for change and new things. Anyone can vanish, ask these guys