Complacency, Fear, & Perfection – Oh My!

Hello! Welcome to the very first episode of Byte Sized Strategy.

Once we get past the obligatory awkward introduction period, we jump right into discussing the silent killer that stops brands, big and small, dead in their tracks. (Hint: it’s complacency.)

We also discuss how fear & striving for perfection can keep you stuck.

Hello! It’s Our First Episode!

I’m so glad you’re here!

Before we dive in, I want to explain to you very special, first time listeners a little bit more about this podcast and why you should most definitely keep listening to it.

Let’s face it: there’s a lot of noise out there.

And no, I’m not talking about the barking dogs, leaf blowers, or construction work that you can probably hear in the background in this recording, unless, by some lucky chance, I’m a better audio editor than I think I am.

I’m talking about all the Instagram posts, the reels and the TikTok videos, all the YouTube videos and podcast episodes and all the other content that creators somehow, remarkably, manage to churn out on a daily basis.

Let’s Step Back In Time…

Growing up, I loved to read. I still do, but I don’t as much anymore because LIFE. That’s beside the point though.

When I was younger, I read just about every book I could get my hands on. I grew up in the 90s, the glorious age of the BOOK IT! Program.

If you’re not familiar with how it works, I’ll give you a quick run down: students had to read 5 books and once they reached that goal, their teacher would give them a certificate that could be exchanged for a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.

Well, ya girl was reading those books and earning those free pizzas left and right, because she just loved reading that much (and she also loved pizza).

So imagine the pure horror and disappointment that was experienced when 8 year old me came to the realization that I would never be able to read every book in the world. No one can. There’s just too many. It’s not physically possible.

I took a long winded approach here, but the bottom line is: no matter how much you or my 8 year old self may want to, it just isn’t possible to read every book that is published in the world in a single lifetime.

Similarly, it’s just not possible to keep up with all the digital content that is out there.

There’s simply too much of it.

And I don’t know about you, but when I do try to keep up, I get overwhelmed and burn out pretty quickly.

So. What am I going to do about it? I’m creating more content.

That seems counterproductive, but here’s what I’m trying to do: I want to give you small, byte sized episodes that you can listen to and get something out of, short and sweet.

hey friends!

I’m Ashley

At my core, I’m just a tech geek: I’ve got the glasses, the bad posture, the multi-monitor set-up at my work station, the works.

During each Byte Sized Strategy episode, we will discuss more technical issues..think email marketing workflows, search engine optimization tips, user experience… as well as discussing the elements that make up a strong brand and digital presence.

And I promise to do my best at breaking everything down for a beginner audience.

I started my business online 2013. Yeah, that was a while ago! And let me just say … I’ve learned A LOT. 

I started when I was on the tail end of finishing up my Master’s degree, and, you’ll probably hear me say this a lot if you keep listening to this podcast because it’s CONSTANTLY on my mind: doing business online is not something that they teach you in school.

Even though I took a lot of postgraduate level business courses, and I have a Master of Science in IT leadership…trust me, it was still a giant learning curve.

Part of the reason for this is that the online world is constantly changing.

Think about it even in terms of social media.

Five years ago, Facebook seemed liked where it was at.

Then Instagram became more popular.

And then Snapchat was the “cool” thing, and then it was Instagram again, and now TikTok and video content is becoming more popular.

All of these changes have happened over a relatively short period of time.

Which leads me to our topic today: rapid change and COMPLACENCY.

When Complacency Kills: A Case Study

Back when I was working on my Master’s degree, taking those business courses, there was a classic case that was brought up all the time. Or, maybe it just really stands out in my mind because it was so scary to me.

It’s Kodak.

In 1975, an engineer at Kodak, Steven Sasson, developed the first (self-contained) digital camera in the world.

Crazy, right? That digital cameras existed as early as 1975? Because of course, in these times, it was and always had been about FILM.

And Kodak DOMINATED film sales. The stat is something like they had 90% market share of the US Film Industry. They were POPULAR.

Kodak was at the forefront of technology, so it’s no surprise they were the first people involved with the digital camera. Their color film, called “Kodachrome,” was a BIG NAME…it was as big of a name as “iPhone” is today, and heck, there’s even a Paul Simon song about it and tbh, it’s a bop so definitely look it up, it’s catchy as heck.

In 1975, Kodak was doing big things, but times were changing. A Kodak executive, predicted that the market segment would end up turning toward digital cameras, and of course, he was right! 

So what’s the problem…right? Digital cameras were going to take the world by storm, and here we have Kodak, with this awesome digital camera that had the potential to turn Kodak into a leader in the digital camera world.

Why wouldn’t Kodak seize the opportunity and market the heck out of their digital camera, and ride off into the sunset a success for years to come?

Here’s the complication. 

Kodak was already a huge, big name player in the film industry. Remember, they had 90% market share? 

So they already found success there and were making the big bucks in FILM.

If they were to introduce their DIGITAL camera, and the DIGITAL camera went over super well and became really popular….what happens to their film market?

Naturally – in this case, you can expect film sales to drop as digital takes over. And that would hurt Kodak.

So Kodak decided to sit on their really awesome, unique digital camera innovation and just keep it quiet.

This way, they would not have to worry about their film sales dipping, and they, of course, could continue to profit in that area.

Unfortunately – what ended up happening is Kodak stuck to this idea a little too long.

Since they were afraid of releasing and promoting the digital cameras, they just decided to not explore that side of their business. In the meantime, other competitors like Sony, Fujifilm, Canon…these companies explored digital and charged ahead. 

Eventually – Kodak DID realize that, in order to save their business, they had to release something DIGITAL, but when they realized this, unfortunately, it was too late.

Instead of being LEADERS in the digital market like they could have been if they had released their digital offering in the late 70s, they became FOLLOWERS in the market and got swallowed up by their competition.

And, of course, we know what ended up happening to film. Although, of course, it’s still somewhat popular in hobbyist photography spheres and whatnot, for the most part, film went KAPUT and died out.

And what ended up happening to Kodak long term? 

Well, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And Paul Simon is no longer writing songs about them.

And the main reason that this happened is because of COMPLACENCY, which is why it’s used as an example of what not to do in all those business school textbooks.

For most of its history, Kodak had built their entire culture around innovation and change. That’s likely one of the reasons why they were so successful.

But when it came to the digital problem, the people with these innovative voices within the company kind of got buried. They weren’t being listened to. 

And another reason why this complacency happened is the fear factor. Actual fear, not the TV show. Even though change is inevitable, Kodak chose to ignore this fact. Afraid to shake things up, they let this fear get in the way, being more concerned with maintaining their current level of success with the film sales, and pretty much just hoped for the best that the situation would never change.

But: things DO change. And today, they seem to be changing more rapidly than ever before.

And that’s why I’m referring this classic business school case. You may be thinking, “Ummmm 1970s Kodak? My brand is nothing like theirs, why is this relevant?” It’s relevant because if complacency killed a GIANT business that had taken the world by storm for years…it can most definitely affect us solopreneurs and small businesses.

FACT: Change Is Going To Affect YOUR Business.

As people like us who are building brands online, we have to recognize this.

We have to step up, we have to LISTEN, we have to keep our eyes open for the warning signs of when something isn’t working.

And — and this can be a challenge — we really have to make sure we are looking AHEAD. We need to be three steps ahead rather than two behind. 

Trust me, friends, this can be difficult.

When you are a small business – a lot of us don’t have staff and other people besides us working for US. And, being innovative and NOT COMPLACENT can be A LOT when you’ve got all the other business stuff to take care of.

And that’s why complacency is such a problem, for any business, but especially for small business owners.

I’ve even seen it be called a “silent killer” of small businesses because it just sneaks on up in there and takes ahold, and before you know it, this business that you had once been really excited about and was doing really well, has fallen behind the times.

Goals Should Be Attainable.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. 

Your goals should be “SMART” goals.

S – specific.

M – measureable.

A – attainable.

R – relevant.

T – time-based.

All of these are important but let’s talk a little bit more about making things attainable.

I think this is something in my personality type, so maybe not all of you can relate to this, but I constantly have a steady stream of ideas and things I want to launch and new products or services or whatever that I want to put out into the world.

And, when I first think of these ideas and explore them, I’m super excited about them, I feel like I can’t get them out into the world fast enough.

But. Once they are out there — if they even make it that far, because, honestly, I tend to lose steam maybe a third of the way through and realize it’s not the best idea or isn’t going to work for me — I realize that I simply do not have the time to devote toward making this thing the best it can be.

Take your time going into new projects: be realistic with your time and the resources you have.

This is another area where you really have to take a step back sometimes and CHECK YOURSELF.

Stay The Course And Be Consistent.

CONSISTENCY is important. It is something that I know I, along with probably a lot of you, struggle with.

“Staying consistent” is a practical tip, but it’s beyond that. It goes into mindset.

As humans, we’re designed to want that quick fix. We went that instant gratification and when we don’t get it, we drop everything and quit.

You can’t do that.

I know it’s hard.

But you can’t do that.

Quitting at the first sign of trouble or when something doesn’t go over as well as you thought initially is another fear-based reaction, really. We get disappointed. We get embarrassed, maybe. 

But good things take time, and we make mistakes along the way. Or, at the very least, there is always gonna be something you can pick apart about whatever it is you’re doing, things you could have done better.

I am experiencing this with doing a podcast, even.

I ended up recording some of my episodes multiple times, because I’m such a weird perfectionist that I kept finding faults with EVERYTHING I did.

At first, it was the audio quality: the microphone wasn’t good enough, so I went out and bought the expensive, $130 Blue Yeti microphone. It’s great – by the way – no regrets. But, perhaps a bit overkill. Perhaps the $80 microphone would have worked just as well.

Once I got the audio quality sorted, my next criticism was: I was talking too fast. I listened to what I had recorded and I was like, you have GOT TO SLOW DOWN. People are going to get annoyed.

So I recorded again and I slowed down.

And then I listened back again and I found a new issue: “God, I’m so freaking monotone. Am I going to put people to sleep with my voice?”

And that worry, that fear, it’s very strong and it ALMOST stopped me from launching this podcast. 

But. I’m trying to let go of that perfection.

I’ve reasoned with myself, “Yeah, you are a little monotone, but you know what? That’s your voice. That’s you. That’s who you are. What are you going to do? Do like, a Mickey Mouse cartoon voice for the entire 30 minutes that you’re recording?”

I can’t do that.

And so I just have to let it go.

So. Whether you’re just starting out in business online or you have been growing your brand for a while, commit to consistency.

Commit to putting your all into something — even when you aren’t necessarily seeing the results you want.

There’s nowhere to go but up — unless you stop completely and remain complacent.

And we all know what happens when you remain complacent (Kodak, I’m lookin’ at you).