Would it be fair to say that things are rapidly changing around us? Yes, of course. Careers, jobs and businesses in general are coming and going at a rate like we’ve never seen. We all need to be open and aware of ways to make changes to stay relevant while continuing to serve our customers. If we fully intend to take advantage of growth with new technologies we might need a few tips to help discover opportunities as we move forward. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are looking for new opportunities:
Networking – over the course of time networking remains to be a constant need to do business. In order to identify and take advantage of the new opportunities we need to seek out people who have insights and contacts within our own industry. Some ways to continue or begin networking would include participating in trade association gatherings, communities of learning and practice within your field, and also subscribing to a variety of social media sites and groups. Find a way to select and participate in a group and make yourself an asset. Doing so will create opportunity.
Regulations – when trying to get out in front of an opportunity think about what needs to come about as a result of new laws or regulations regarding technologies. As new laws and regulations are created there will be a need for consultants and trainers who are knowledgeable in those areas resulting in the need for new products and/or services.
Capitalize – capitalizing on new technology that disrupts the existing ways of making, sharing and distributing things creates opportunities. For instance, if you wanted to take advantage of a new technology like 3-D printing and create an opportunity….ask yourself are there ways in which you could use this to provide a service? Or fulfill a need?
Tracking – tracking social trends and demographic information could lead to serving very specific ethnic markets, an age group or regional interests. A good question to ask yourself would be is there a need to address based on a certain type of tourism in your area?
Problems – be aware of and notice problems that people frequently comment and complain about. This could be related to a product or service that is no longer on the market and is in need of replacement. As products and services are removed from the market there’s often still a need and there will be an opportunity for others who can step in to fill that gap.
– RG
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