Comfort Zone - In or Out?

Comfort zones are a fascinating concept. We all have them, yet no two are identical. They are formed by a combination of our upbringing, our life experiences and our aptitude for adventure (or lack thereof).

Over the weekend, I won some tickets to the Indy Fringe Theater Festival. Part of the prize package included a nights stay at a local bed & breakfast. At breakfast, my wife & I struck up a conversation with one of the performers (also staying there). When he found out that this was our first Fringe, he encouraged us to "get out of your comfort zone". I have a long-standing love for theater, so I couldn't imagine being challenged in this regard, but I found it to be an interesting comment.

As we attended numerous shows over the weekend, we did find ourselves out of our proverbial zone. Traditionally "taboo" topics, unexpected nudity and alternative lifestyles all came together in a perfect storm of oddness...

Don't get me wrong, we had a fantastic weekend, and found it to be very entertaining. But parts of it were challenging. I don't see adopting a new lifestyle now or parading around the office naked, but the experience did cause me to think differently, and I believe that is always good.

As innovators, we have our own comfort zones. It's very tough to create bold new products or services if we allow ourselves to remain within them. However, we also have to realize that our target consumers have their own comfort zones, and the reality is most won't buy products that fall outside of them. Close-out stores are filled with products that were too "out-there" to resonate with anyone specifically.

So what does this all mean? This is just more evidence that we really must recognize that our wants & needs are most likely different from our customers'. It will probably cause us some discomfort to find the zone that most resonates with them.