Standing Still is a Decision to Fall Behind
One of the hidden risks in business is assuming that if things are going well, they can simply stay that way. If you listen to episode #4 of The Business Abundance Podcast (I'll make sure to link it below), we make the point that standing still isn’t a neutral or "safe" position. Business environments don’t pause, customer expectations, technology, competition, and behaviour continue to shift whether you’re ready for it or not.
Often, the danger isn’t obvious straight away. There’s usually a delay between when conditions start changing and when the impact is felt. Revenue might still look fine. Customers might still be coming through the door. But underneath that, expectations are already moving. By the time the effects show up clearly, options are far more limited.
Ian’s train-track analogy captures this well. If you stand still on the tracks, the train eventually comes. The issue isn’t that change happens, it’s assuming that because nothing has happened yet, nothing will.
Kodak: Protecting the Business Instead of the Customer
Kodak is often described as a company that failed because it didn’t innovate. That’s not quite true. Kodak actually developed digital camera technology early on so the innovation existed.
The problem was that their business model relied heavily on film which resulted in repeat purchases, processing, and physical products. Digital cameras came along and threatened that model. Instead of adjusting their direction around what customers were going to want next, Kodak focused on protecting what was already working.
In the short term, that decision made sense but in the long term it removed their relevance from the market. The lesson here isn’t that innovation alone saves a business, it’s that if you’re unwilling to change how the business works, innovation doesn’t matter.
Nokia: Improving the Product While the Market Changed
Nokia didn’t disappear because they made poor-quality phones. I remember accidentally running over a Nokia and it didn’t make a dent. At one point, they were producing some of the most advanced phones on the market. The issue was that they continued to think of themselves as a phone company.
Apple didn’t just release a better phone, they changed what people expected a device to do. Apps, usability, integration, and experience became just as important as hardware. Nokia kept improving what they already knew how to do, while the definition of the product itself changed.
For small businesses, this is a good reminder that refining what you already offer isn’t enough if customer expectations are shifting around you.
Blockbuster: Fixing the Wrong Thing
Blockbuster is another example of a business focusing inward while customers were quietly looking for something better.
They worked on improving stores, layouts, and stock while ignoring the biggest source of frustration for customers like late fees and inconvenience. Netflix didn’t win by doing video rental better, they removed friction entirely. No late fees, no driving and eventually, no physical product.
Blockbuster didn’t fail because people stopped watching movies. They failed because they stopped paying attention to what customers found frustrating.
What this looks like in small business
It’s easy to dismiss these examples as problems only large companies face, but the pattern is the same at a small-business level.
Standing still often shows up as:
relying on what has always worked
improving internal processes while customer expectations change
avoiding new services or systems because they feel uncomfortable
protecting short-term income instead of adapting for long-term relevance
Change doesn’t mean constantly reinventing everything. It means paying attention early, listening properly, and being willing to adjust before survival forces the issue.
Standing still can feel safe. In reality, change is what protects a business over time.
