Word is that Amazon is in the considering buying Landmark Theaters. This leads one to wonder if there is anything that company doesn’t want to do.

Over the summer, I have written a good deal about business theories that can lead to success. When looking for such lessons, it is always good to look at those that have had success and currently there are not many companies in a tier with Amazon when it comes to growing and thriving.

It’s a little humbling/disheartening to think it is possible people could read this who do not realize that Amazon began as an online bookseller before it was an adjective preceding Prime, Music, Video, Kindle and Alexa. One could have a long talk about whether this is a good or bad thing, but Amazon even sold books so well that it precipitated the demise of bookstores both big and small. One cannot, however, debate how good the company was at what it did.

The first lesson there then is that even if you want to work within a long-established industry, make what you do new and different than what everyone else does. If you do that, you ensure there is still room for you. I mean, I can’t imagine that 25 years ago there were many people who would have predicted that a giant business empire could begin by selling books. The space to do that, however, clearly did exist.

If Amazon only ever sold books, though, it may have remained successful, even to a high degree, but it would not be the company it is today. That higher level of success came from not being idle. So Amazon went from changing how we bought books to changing how we read books and was at the forefront of delivering e-readers.

The second lesson here then is to not be afraid to change. If you only ever do one thing, you will get left behind. Just ask those bookstores that no longer exist.

And as you keep having more success in more areas, you can keep trying to have more success in other areas. Who would have thought such a company would then be revolutionary with new shipping policies, then go off and create award-winning entertainment, too. Now, Amazon could be trying to change brick-and-mortar grocery stores by removing checkouts, and who knows what their movie theaters would look like.

So at the start, businesses should have a vision for what they want to do, and remain committed to doing it very well and different than everyone else. That gives people a reason to keep returning to you. Doing it really well in the right way can then sure you’re profitable enough to give you the means to do new things.

Knowing what you’re doing well and where you’re succeeding helps you put your efforts in the right places and continue growing. So think both small and big, but do it mindfully so that you can keep track of what’s working and what’s not. We love nothing more than seeing our clients grow and prosper, so if you need help tracking just how well you are doing, let us know and we will help you get to where to you want to be.