Determination is often a good thing, but if you’re so focused on executing your original vision that you fail to adjust your plans when necessary, it can mean failure in short order. So one of the most important traits an entrepreneur can have is flexibility. True flexibility means being able to quickly adapt to the wants and needs of your customers, as well as changes in the market, technology advancements, and the emergence of competitors.
I recently learned of a company that epitomizes the perfect combination of determination and adaptability. JoinUniverse.com is a successful multimedia solutions company, catering primarily to the travel industry. And although business is very good, Join Universe looks nothing like its founder, Marcelo, envisioned back in 2004, when he had his first spark of entrepreneurial motivation.
Back then, the idea was to create a travel site attracting tourism to Uruguay, the founder’s home country, called JoinUruguay.com. Creating the site was easy enough, but he soon found out that driving traffic to the site and monetizing that traffic was quite a challenge. He did eventually realize a small profit from the site though, so he decided to duplicate the model with several other countries. The new challenge Marcelo found himself facing was managing all the sites he now had.
Knowing that he needed an investor to really make his company what he wanted it to be, Marcelo took a trip to London to seek support. Again, he realized he needed to be flexible when the only offer he received was quite different from his original plan. Taking that offer and pushing forward, Join Universe was born, launching a total of 15 travel-related websites in August, 2011.
So, Join Universe is a group of travel sites, right? Well, yes, but that’s not all. After creating so many successful travel websites, it was clear that the company had a unique, marketable expertise: building and promoting travel-related sites.
Today, Join Universe offers:
What’s so impressive about this company’s story is that its founder has always been focused on success, but not so focused on a single path to success that he missed other opportunities as they presented themselves. And that’s an approach that I think is imperative for success in any business.
What have you done in your business that has demonstrated your willingness to be flexible and adapt when necessary? Share your experiences in the comments.
This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.