- Elevate & Inspire: Personal Branding for Creators and Business Pros
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- Adapt or disappear.
Adapt or disappear.
Adaptability is a major key to success in today's business world. If you aren't open to change, you're set up to pull off an impressive disappearing act.
Anthony Gaenzle
May 28, 2025
In partnership with
Are you missing the signs?
Adaptability isn’t for everyone.
Nokia, Kodak, Blockbuster.
They all thought the same way.
🚫 No one will want smartphones.
🚫 Who wants digital photos?
🚫 Streaming video? No thanks!
Each one made a run at it, but each was maybe 10 years too late.
When you see the beginnings of a shift in your industry, don’t ignore it.
Be ready to embrace change.
How to avoid missing the signs that it’s time for change.
Change doesn’t wait for your approval. It doesn’t tap you on the shoulder and ask if you’re ready.
Change just moves, with or without you.
The difference between thriving and fading out?
Knowing when to shift before the ground crumbles beneath you.
Here’s how entrepreneurs, content creators, and business owners can stay sharp, spot the signs early, and stay ahead of the curve.
1. Keep Your Curiosity Sharp
Spoiler alert: You don’t know everything. The moment you think you know everything is the moment you start falling behind. Make it a habit to explore new platforms, tools, and trends, even if they don’t seem relevant yet. Disruption often starts on the edges.
2. Listen to the Edges, Not Just the Center
Don’t just watch what your peers are doing. Pay attention to what early adopters, startups, trendsetters, younger and older generations, and others are excited about. Today’s fringe often becomes tomorrow’s mainstream.
3. Audit What’s Working, And What Isn’t
Regularly review your products, content, digital presence, or offers. Review your online presence for your brand as well as your personal brand. Are you growing because of these things or despite them? If something is coasting on past success, it may be time to evolve.
4. Ask Better Questions
Instead of “Is this working?” try asking: “What’s changed around me that I haven’t responded to yet?” or “What are our customers doing now that they weren’t doing last year?” Questions like these spark proactive thinking.
5. Surround Yourself with Challengers
Echo chambers kill innovation. Build a network of collaborators and advisors who will challenge your assumptions, not just validate them. You can do this in person or even on your favorite social media platform. A little tension can lead to a lot of transformation. For example, I created two communities on X, and the conversations have led to both growth and healthy debate. You can find them here.
Blogging 4 Business - Collaborative blogging community. We work together to share ideas, provide support, and help one another grow as bloggers.
Elevate & Inspire - The X Community for Creators, Entrepreneurs, Freelancers, and Business Owners. Designed to Help You Turn Your Online Presence Into Growth.
The signs are always there, you just have to be willing to see them. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open to new things.
Staying stuck might feel safe, but real growth lives on the other side of discomfort. If you want to lead, innovate, and stay relevant, you have to move when the shift starts, not after it’s already passed you by. Stay curious. Stay uncomfortable. Stay ready.
Let’s connect!
If you have any questions or you’re ready to start working on your personal brand, email me at [email protected] or visit gaenzlemarketing.com.
Oh…and don’t forget to grab your copy of The Business of Branding You: Invest in Your Personal Brand, Grow Your Career, and Gain Influence.
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