If you are on the Internet regularly and are witness to current e-commerce, I must ask you to not take for granted what you see and instead take a huge step outside the world of online business. I ask you to think – for just a moment – about the “brick-and-mortar” world (that we all live in).

The “brick-and-mortar” business world gave birth to the e-commerce world, so in a way the “real world” of business (what we now call brick-and-mortar) is the parent of the world of online business (what we commonly call e-commerce). This parent has now seen its child reach maturity and make its own way in a changing world.

And, perhaps this confident parent has ignored critical lessons that should have been learned from its child! Without going too deep into economic theory, the parent, brick-and-mortar lessons have always taught (us) that the Law of Supply and Demand is the great equalizer; supply and demand balances out everything in economics. Corporations tend to produce goods and services and then create demand for those goods and services, and react accordingly.

E-commerce seems to be more proactive than that! What sells in the brick and mortar world will not necessarily sell in the online world, or at least for the “little guys” (which make up most of online economics nowadays). No, the law of supply and demand does not apply online in most cases. To survive and prosper in the e-commerce world, one must not only heed the old standards of economics, but also reach into the “Invisible Hand” of the masses and produce the future of demand, more so than the brick and mortar world.

Modern business has a new dichotomy: socionomics (represented more by e-commerce) versus economics (represented more by the old, brick-and-mortar business world).

In the end, large corporations are committing 3 big sins that will lead to their eventual failure:

1. “Short-sightedness” or “selective blindness”.

This is like being too close to a tree so you cannot see the whole forest. Or, like not seeing the subtle, yearly changes in a child as she grows older and then suddenly realizing she is all grown up.

2. Complacency.

This is like being too comfortable to make changes or adapt to changes as they are happening. This is being reactive instead of proactive. This is lazy thinking.

3. Closed-mindedness.

This means not worrying about future trends and not thinking about “what if”. This means refusing to learn new ways of doing and thinking; this is being stuck in ignorant beliefs.

I keep thinking about an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Big oil companies might be amongst the clearest examples of what I am saying in this article. Yes, we all know that greed can make us blind, complacent, and closed-minded.

The universe of online business – or e-corporate presence – provokes a much different impression. Certainly there is the gamut of business being presented on the web – “you name it, you can find it” – both good, and not so good. It appears, however, that in general, e-commerce is focused more on identifying need first and then filling that need, as opposed to producing the product first and then either forcing it on the public, or attempting to create need, and often both. And certainly it rings true that the advantage for online business is speed, new innovation, and adaptability, whereas the brick-and-mortar reality is such slower, plodding along, counting on consistency, resiliency, and what has always worked in the past.

In my professional business service, one of the first items I cover is “selective blindness” by teaching how to look with “fresh eyes each day” as well as what to look for in order to maximize time and result. Another focus in my consultancy is not only a willingness to change, but also the desire for continual change, welcoming it in our fast-paced, evolving society. There is no tolerance for complacency in business. Further, the largest enemy of progress and success is closed-mindedness. I teach how to balance risk and fear, with or against calculated advantage and removal of barriers that prevent exceeding benchmarks.

I also teach how to blow away all competitors and barriers by creating and recreating “genius-level events”…but that’s another story. The heart of the matter is that the above 3 “failures” are precursory to commercial death.

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