“ EVERY LIMIT IS A BEGINNING AS WELL AS AN ENDING .” - George Eliot
to do both . However , there are a number of problems with this approach . Most importantly , since weaknesses and strengths are linked , attempting to fix a weakness can actually diminish the corresponding strength . This fact is best illustrated by the discount retail industry .
Walmart ’ s main strength is low prices and its weaknesses include poor quality merchandise , long lines and unhelpful employees . On the other hand , Target ’ s main strengths are higher quality products from well-known designers , attractive stores and helpful associates who are quick to open a new checkout lane . Unfortunately , Target ’ s weakness is that its prices are not as low as those at Walmart .
So , what would happen if Walmart tried to do both ? What if they tried to build on their strengths and fix their weaknesses ? What would happen to their low prices , their primary strength , as they added better products and extra employees at the registers ? The answer is simple , their prices would climb , thus diminishing their strength .
Similarly , what if Target decided to fix their weakness by lowering prices ? What would happen to the level of customer service and the great products that give them their advantage if they focused more on cost cutting ? Again , the answer is straightforward , their quality and service would decrease , thus diminishing their strength .
If you don ’ t believe me , just look at Kmart .
Kmart provides an illustration of what happens when a company , or individual , loses focus and tries to do both . Their historical leadership in discount retail was based on the blue-light special , a symbol of low prices . However , they did not focus exclusively on this price advantage and began to lose customers to Walmart .
Kmart then began adding designer products from celebrities like Martha
Stewart , but wasn ’ t quite ready to shed their low-price image . This allowed Target to capture higher-income customers that were design conscious . Kmart ’ s failure to focus ultimately led to bankruptcy . They weren ’ t the best at anything , so customers had no reason to shop there . Their failure illustrates the dangers of doing both , of trying to be well-rounded .
There is a compelling reason to go to Walmart , low prices . There is a compelling reason to go to Target , a better shopping experience . There is not a compelling reason to go to Kmart , so people don ’ t .
This is very important . If you try to be everything to everybody , you ’ ll end up being nothing to nobody .
3 . APPRECIATION - We succeed because of our weaknesses , not in spite of them .
Dyslexia is a disability . People with dyslexia get letters and words mixed up and this leads to major problems with reading and writing . This , in turn , is a major barrier to success . Or is it ?
A recent study showed that 35 % of small business owners have dyslexia . This is surprising because only 10 % of Americans have dyslexia , but they make up more than 33 % of entrepreneurs in the US .
Another study found that people with dyslexia are far more likely to become millionaires . In fact , almost half of the millionaires in the study had dyslexia . Examples of wealthy dyslexics include Virgin founder , Richard Branson , JetBlue founder , David Neeleman , and Kinko ’ s founder , Paul Orfalea . The subtitle of Orfalea ’ s book is Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America ’ s Best Companies .
How does this happen ? What explains their success ?
It seems that dyslexia is a two-edged sword . The obvious weaknesses are
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