Navigating the online business world in the last few years has taught me a valuable lesson: the approach I adopt in facing challenges and seizing opportunities can profoundly impact my success. It was the reason why I failed 10 years in a row until I finally found success. Through my experience, I've observed the clear differences between proactivity and reactivity in my business operations, shipping new things, failure handling, and also decision-making. Today, I want to share with you why I believe proactivity outlasts reactivity nearly every time in the above-mentioned areas.

Staying Ahead in Business

I've learned in the last few years that being proactive is all about being one step ahead. When I think ahead and figure out what my customers will want or what will be popular in the future, I can come up with new ideas and even start new markets, which I did in the Framer templates space as the first creator and now making the most money. It's more than just keeping up with changes; it's about leading the way. I've noticed, that other businesses that only react to trends after they've started usually miss out on great chances or money, and have a hard time keeping up with their proactive competitors.

But now you may ask yourself, how I’ve done that?

The answer is fairly simple. I’ve started to show up on Twitter every day since 2021 and began to also share my stuff every day since 2022. This changed my whole landscape in business. Opportunities came up everywhere. They just get thrown at you. Nowadays, it’s not enough to just be good at what you do. You need to present yourself to the right people, at the right place, and at the right time. And this has never been easier than on the internet. So whatever you are doing professionally, start sharing your journey online and see how your landscape will change.

My Secret to Shipping That Much

Even how I ship things is proactive. I’m not the kind of designer who just designs something, gathers feedback, improves it, drives user testing, improves, and finally ships. I just ship. And see how it goes. If needed, I improve things accordingly. Even if this means that I gotta rebuild the whole thing in a few months. I test it directly with the market.

A Proactive Learning Curve Against Repeated Failing

Throughout my career, I've faced many failures, but how I've dealt with them has been crucial. In my early years, I made so many mistakes. It’s unbelievable. And I repeated the same mistakes again and again. Until I started to approach future mistakes with proactive and preventive measures. I not only made the mistakes and went on, but I deeply thought about how I could turn these setbacks into learning and growth opportunities. I've noticed that a reactive attitude, which often involves quick fixes only, doesn't address the root cause and can lead to repeated failures. So I solved the issues more profoundly. Turns out this prevented many old mistakes from happening again.

Making Informed Choices Proactively

Decision-making has been a critical aspect of my professional life. I've found that making informed, proactive decisions before situations become critical, leads to better outcomes. This approach allows for a thoughtful evaluation of options and consideration of long-term impacts. Reactive decision-making, which is usually hurried and under pressure, often leads to choices that are not in line with my long-term goals.

So as you can see, it’s worth thinking about something for a bit longer than too short. Take the time to think about your decisions. They might be foundational for your life and business.

Wrap up

My experiences have taught me that being proactive in various aspects of business and personal management offers significant advantages over being reactive. By anticipating and preparing for future events, I have been able to effectively manage challenges and take advantage of opportunities that others might have missed. A proactive approach requires foresight, strategic planning, and sometimes a willingness to take calculated risks, but the rewards in terms of growth, efficiency, resilience, and strategic success are priceless.