Easy and Excellence are Mutually Exclusive

In teaching and studying business for some time now, I have determined a few certainties. One of them is more than a theory. It has become a law in my mind. And that law can be expressed in three words.

Business isn’t easy.

When you decide to open a business (and I believe most people should), you are making a commitment to excellence. You have decided that you want to be the best at something. You either want to have the fastest, the cheapest, or the highest quality product or service on or in your market.

No one opens a business and says, “I want to be the least efficient, the most expensive, and the lowest quality on the market.” They would not be in business long if they did.

Beyond seeking excellence, one of the reasons why business isn’t easy is because the environment is constantly changing. You have to anticipate what your customer wants today, next week, and next year. What works today might not work tomorrow. As technology changes, you have to adapt or die. You have to show up. You have to do the work.

You can have easy. Or, you can have excellence. You can’t have both.

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