Are you a guerrilla? So what’s a guerrilla anyway?
Guerrilla is a Spanish word that means small war. But not just any ‘small war’. It’s a war where your agility, mobility and ability to react quickly allow you to ambush your opponent when they’re most vulnerable and you can score a victory. This agility means you have the advantage of surprise and can mobilise an attack when your enemy least suspects it.
Large institutions like Westpac, BHP, General Motors, and Qantas are not guerrillas. They need consensus and never ending board meetings to plan their attack.
A small business is a guerrilla. It’s like a football scrum. A few words of instruction in the huddle and then every player moves swiftly to unbalance the opponent so they can take advantage of a fleeting opportunity.
In 1984, Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term ‘Guerrilla Marketing’ and changed forever the way small business outwits their larger competitors.
In short, guerrilla warfare is when you outwit your competitors with your mobility, agility, wisdom, experience and cunning to take them by surprise. And do what they can’t/won’t/haven’t thought of, to do. Your highly targeted hit and run tactics get results.
Isn’t that what men and women in small business try to do every day?
Do you act like a guerrilla? Do you want to be a guerrilla?
Stay with me and learn how I had to become one, when, in 1994, I established a product design and marketing business, from my property in a village in rural Australia. Before the internet, email, call waiting and Telstra MessageBank.
Isolation from my neighbours and other people in business, combined with the tyranny of distance, where I drive an 80km round trip just to buy a litre of milk, can be overwhelming. But none of this is a problem when you change your attitude and open your mind to what’s possible and achievable.
I’ve had more doors closed in my face than doors opened.
When we introduced our first product, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, I had Hills Industries, the maker of ironing boards, tell me I’d never sell more than 200 of them.
I’ve had major retailers tell me no one wants to buy premium ironing board covers, and more pointedly, our customers don’t want yours.
I’ve had sewing companies throw us out because our standards for manufacture are too high.
In 1996, we were banned from participating in Floriade. The organisers said ‘ironing board covers’ are too downmarket. In 1995, we were a gigantic hit at Floriade. When we didn’t appear in 1996, the organisers were forced to give our phone number to repeat visitors who wanted to know where we were.
In spite of all these setbacks, or perhaps because of them, I have a thriving world wide business. Even though I live and work from a small rural property in the bush and have no national or international retail distribution.
Our most famous product, The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, has 90,000 enthusiastic customers around the world. Because these customers asked for more products, my partner, Victor Pleshev, an architect and also the designer of our products, and I added another 5. The Roadworks Apron, Log Lugger, Mr Chin’s Laundry Bag, The Travel Bug Shoe Bag, and Sweet Shoo.
I’ve found markets for all these products by going outside traditional distribution channels and outwitting the major retailers.
Was it easy? Absolutely not!! But the adage that what doesn’t bury you makes you stronger is alive and well in our business.
Yes, I’m a Guerrilla From The Bush and have learned so much about what’s possible, I want to share it with you.
So hang on, we’re going to have fun and learn from each other.
What’s your biggest challenge or frustration in running your business? How have you outwitted your competitors?
I’d love you to post your comments and let’s see if we can help each other. Better yet, let’s have as many people as possible pitch in and share their experiences.
Take care,
CAROL
To see what we’ve achieved, click on our website at www.interfaceaustralia.com.
Read the story of how our business began on The Ironing Board Cover Lady. No sales hype. Just a down home story about how we started our business on the dining room table of our rural property, driving on ‘L’ Plates, without an instructor.
A comment about LinkedIn. If you’re not a member of LinkedIn, when you click View Full Profile, you’ll be asked to join. It’s free and the option is yours. There are benefits to joining. Once you’re a member, you can key in the name of any person you do business with. If they’ve taken the trouble to complete a Profile, you’ll be able to assess their background, their capabilities and the calibre of person they are. You might be, as I am, often pleasantly surprised. So go have a look.
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