I heard a story recently about two animals that are very different from each other. The first is the American buffalo. The head of the buffalo is build pointing toward the earth. The buffalo eats grass and is especially equipped to do so. The second animal is a giraffe. This animal has an extended neck and has a hard time seeing something right in front of them. The buffalo has a hard time looking up and the giraffe has a hard time looking down. Face it these animals are very different from each other.



When it comes to online business and product creation these two animals are great examples of some key differences in the primary style of entrepreneurs.

Like the buffalo there are some entrepreneurs that are extremely detail oriented. These entrepreneurs may have a hard time taking in the overall scope of where they are going as a business in order to concentrate on details.

Like the giraffe there are other entrepreneurs that are more 'big picture' business owner. They see where they want to go and run as fast as they can only to stumble over things that may have been right in front of them, but they were unable to see.

The truth is product creation requires someone like the giraffe that can look forward and see what the buffalo can't. It may also require a buffalo that can see all the details that need to be addressed in order to get to where the giraffe wants to go.

In many offices you will find an owner or manager that is a giraffe who sees where the business should go and is willing to run at a breakneck pace to get there. If these individuals are wise they will hire a 'buffalo' as an office or assistant manager. This would be someone who can manage the many details that allow the 'giraffe' to run.

Sometimes in product creation this means two business partners with differing temperaments. It could be a home-based business that finds a husband and wife who are complimentary in their approach to creating something new.

Is it possible we try to make a buffalo into a giraffe or visa versa? The focus of the giraffe is often in the trees where they find leaves to eat. They can also see off in the distance and plan where to go next. Meanwhile, the buffalo is eating grass and can only see a small patch of real estate in front of them. The perspectives are completely different.

Too often we expect more from an individual than they know how to give. If they are equipped at being a visionary they may not be especially good at paperwork. Knowing this can help change your strategy in product creation, development, online business and virtually every area of business life.

The good news is just because you may be different from others in how you approach your business objectives does not make you less capable, but we all need others to help us reach our goals. If you are a giraffe look for a buffalo. If you are a buffalo look for a giraffe. It may seem like an odd couple, but when you both need each other to get where you're going you have the best of partnerships. If you're exactly the same then one of you isn't really needed.