Why Business Leaders Need a Vegas-Mindset to Successfully Grow
By Professors Ed Hess and Jeanne Liedtka
"The first thing top-level leaders need to understand about growth is that the only certainty about growth is its uncertainty."
Have you ever watched a professional blackjack player in Las Vegas? They usually have a specific process they use to up their chances of winning big. First, they pick the right table. Then, they test the waters. They make small bets to see where the game is going. As they watch the cards and learn more about the game and their opponents, they periodically increase their bets or they fold certain hands. It all happens fast, and they understand that they’ll lose a lot of hands in this "testing the waters" phase of play. But the information they gain during the process allows them to increase their bets and win big later on. Business growth is a lot like playing blackjack.
vice? Too many potential customers (don’t we wish)? For most businesses — it’s not any of those, but simply a lack of interested prospects to engage in the proposal and acquisition process.
Could you use some extra cash? Want to work from home? Have you always wanted to sell on eBay but were afraid to give it a try? Do not let your fears stop you. It is as easy as it seems.
my like molasses going uphill in the winter time, small businesses are starting to feel the pressure ease, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to go back to “business as usual.” 
Most business owners would prefer to find clients who are entirely new to their industry and are not currently doing business in it. Unfortunately, this idealized situation is difficult to find. Business is often a zero sum game. For you to gain that new client, someone else may have to lose him or her. It’s all part of the difficult side of private enterprise.