There’s something odd about a lot of woodworkers. They just won’t leave their shops. It’s like they are glued to the shop floor, or the doors are locked and bolted against their escape.

What I’m talking about is a seemingly endemic resistance to expanding horizons beyond the confines of their business. I’m talking about not attending trade shows or conferences. I’m talking about not joining trade organizations or even local chambers of commerce or social and charitable organizations. I’m talking about not networking with other shop owners or even non-competing business leaders. I’m talking about failing to forge connections with schools and educators to develop sources of new employees.

And when confronted with these missed opportunities, the response is typically something like, “Oh, we’re too busy to leave the shop to do any of that.”

Too busy to learn something new. Too busy to explore new ways of doing things. Too busy to find skilled workers. Too busy to make more money in less time. Too busy to grow.

If you are in this situation, you are really just chasing your tail.

None of us can know everything. None of us can find all the solutions to all of our problems entirely within our existing sphere. None of us can grow without change. 

Behold the lowly turtle: He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.

I know it’s hard to leave your comfort zone, but the reality is that zone is really not that comfortable. It’s uplifting and energizing to meet new people and discover things you never would have learned if you hadn’t ventured outside. 

And let’s face it: Some of what you learn comes from people politely holding up a mirror to show you what you really look like. Sometimes you need to hear somebody tell you, “That’s just stupid!”

I closed one of the first businesses I started because I couldn’t delegate and couldn’t figure out how to grow without doing so. Was that a bad decision? 

I don’t know, but it set me on a different path, and I never looked back. 

The biggest enemy of business success is continuing to do things the way you have always done them for no good reason. Maybe your product mix is wrong. Maybe you need to rethink processes and production methods. Maybe you need to update systems and equipment. But you won’t know whether any of that needs attention unless you step outside and see things from a different perspective. 

Yes, it can take time, energy, and fortitude to reach out, but the potential rewards are phenomenal. Not only can you grow your business, but also you might get your life back.

There’s a whole big world waiting for you outside your shop.