The word “opportunities” carries such weight and can have various meanings. For a business, it can be tied to growth or taking a step back and strengthening your processes. On a personal level, it can relate to injecting something into your daily routine that offers greater fulfillment or provides the ability to learn something new. The start of a new year is the perfect time to consider what opportunities you will create for yourself and your business. Here are some of our favorite examples of people/companies that have created and seized new opportunities.
London Christmas Tree Rental
Practicing sustainable business has been at the forefront in recent years, especially when it comes to limiting unnecessary waste. London Christmas Tree Rental decided to take an unusual look at a very well-known problem. Every year, millions of Christmas trees are chopped down, enjoyed for a few weeks, and promptly discarded. Founded in 2018 but making their major debut this past holiday season, London Christmas Tree Rental decided to change this by offering folks the opportunity to rent the same tree year after year. Once the tree reaches full maturity, it is planted permanently to live out the rest of its happy life. Who knows, maybe this new, sustainable opportunity will come state-side in the coming years and offer Americans a new holiday tradition!
Freed
In a time where inclusivity and diversity are ever-more important, Freed addresses the lack of inclusivity amongst the dance industry. For decades, dancers of color had no other option than to purchase light colored dancewear; Freed made the decision to change this. Through a collaboration with Ballet Black, the company released the first dancewear line to offer dancers of color, skin-matching pointe shoes and matching tights. Thanks to this new line, dancers no longer need to “pancake” their shoes, the practice of caking on layers of expensive foundation to match darker skin-tones not typically found in dancewear. True inclusion allows everyone the opportunity to express who they truly are, on and off the dance floor.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere
Standing out isn’t always easy, but for John Legere, this comes naturally. Former T-Mobile CEO John Legere was one of the first executives to harness the power of social media that allowed him the opportunity to reach beyond the C-Suite he often found himself around. By leveraging social media’s power, he broke down industry walls to connect with employees, fans, customers, and everyone in between. His success of connecting with his customers and employees ultimately led to the success of repositioning T-Mobile into a more innovative and forwarding-thinking company.
Hudson Yards
Opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes, and in Hudson Yards’ case, the shape of a beehive! This soaring new architectural landmark taking residence in Manhattan’s West Side offers a unique opportunity for residents and tourists alike to see New York from a new perspective. With over 150 flights of stairs and 80 separate landings, Hudson Yards offers views of the city, the Hudson River, and beyond. Sometimes, new opportunities may present themselves when you see things in a new light or from a different vantage point than what you’re accustomed to.
Simone Biles
Pursuing opportunity doesn’t always mean going after something new, sometimes it means taking a step back and evaluating where you or your company are at, and how to best move forward. During the 2020 Olympics (postponed to 2021), that’s exactly what USA Gymnastics Olympian Simone Biles did. After thinking long and hard about where she was at both mentally and physically, she made the decision to prioritize her mental health by dropping out of the team Olympic gymnastics final to give the USA gymnastics team a chance to pursue the gold medal. Sometimes, the best opportunities are the ones where you root from the sidelines.