My first baking experiment was a disaster.
The second time around, the cake turned out much better and I was proud of my efforts.
When I began distributing the cake, a couple of people who I wanted to taste the cake asked me if it contained egg. I replied in the affirmative. They politely refused. Though the cake was delicious, the people I wanted to offer it to didn’t want it.
There were two options in front of me:
a) Continue baking cakes with egg
b) Try baking egg less cakes and see how they turned out. If they turned out fine, I could offer the cake to everyone.
I chose the latter.
Much to my delight, the cake turned out fine.
I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan. But making a small shift enabled me to reach out to the people I wanted to. In fact, I realised that no one says no to egg less cake.
This experiment has a parallel with something some of us struggle with — finding takers for what we have to offer.
If people dismiss what you have to offer, there are a few reasons for that:
a) What you’re offering isn’t good enough
b) What you’re offering is good but you are chasing the wrong market
c)What you’re offering needs a little altering to find acceptance
This experiment has a parallel with something some of us struggle with — finding takers for what we have to offer.
If what you have to offer isn’t good enough, work to make it better. Even if what you have to offer is good, work to improve it.
If there is nothing wrong with what you have to offer but you aren’t finding any takers, change your market. Find people who are seeking what you bring to the table and who will help you make your offering better instead of banging your head against the wall.
If you can alter what you are offering without feeling like you’re selling out, consider making that small change.
When we feel misunderstood, the first instinct is to bad mouth market. They don’t get it, it’s their fault! But that is a self-defeating stance.
A better alternative is to find people who are seeking what you have to offer.
When you make this shift, you will realise where you need to be focusing all your efforts.
You will go from ‘what will they say’ to ‘how can I wow them today’?
You will go from trepidation to excitement.
It’s a shift worth making if you’re seeking to make the impact that you’re capable of having.
