There have been many times when I have heard someone point to a successful business in a certain industry and exclaim, “Now that is the business to be in!” They mistakenly think that it is the industry that has been responsible for the success of the business. I have even had people say to me, “You were lucky that you got into IT at just the right time.”
Let me make a very simple point here.
There is no one business that is the business to be in. Think about it. If it was easy or if there was only one business to be in, everyone would be in it!
The business that people say is “the one to be in” looks that way because someone is very good at it. If you are good at it, you make it look simple.
Therefore, the real objective is to be good at something. No, not good. Be great at something. Be the best at something. Aim to be world class at something. Pursue something that you love, and make it your ambition to be so good at it that other people will point to you and say, “Now that is the business to be in!” It doesn’t matter if what you choose is building space shuttles or playing Rochambeau (rock, paper, scissors). If you are the best at something, you will make a successful business model out of it.
The grass is never really greener on the other side. From a distance, the grass sometimes looks green, but when you get up close, there are weeds and patches of yellow. Once you jump the fence and move away from your own patch of grass, your old grass suddenly looks greener. It always looks greener from a distance. Even weeds are green from a distance.
You are better off working on your side of the fence and watering your grass and weeding your grass and making your grass as green as possible—to the point when everyone looks at your grass and notes how green it looks!
If someone tries to convince you that “this is the business to be in,” then they are probably trying to sell you a business!