When Have You Trusted Your Intuition Over Data?
Think of business intuition as the compass guiding an explorer through uncharted territories; it's about making decisive moves without always having a map. This is especially relevant for small business owners. Beginning with a Founder's story of making product focus a priority, explore eight experiences that illuminate how intuition shapes business success.
- Prioritized Product Focus
- Targeted Young Adults
- Invested in Live Chat
- Expanded Service Offerings
- Offered Unique Floral Designs
- Acquired Rural Properties
- Hired Based on Potential
- Opened Holistic Salon
Prioritized Product Focus
When faced with a tough product decision, I chose to trust my gut over the conflicting data presented by my team, opting to discontinue a well-liked feature that was no longer aligning with our core mission. The result was a short-term backlash but long-term gain in product focus and resource allocation. This experience underscored the importance of visionary leadership and the courage to make tough decisions that data alone might not justify.
Discontinuing the feature freed up resources, which were reallocated to more promising areas, leading to the development of our now-flagship time-tracking integration that has since become a major revenue driver. This strategic shift not only saved the company from spreading itself too thin but also redirected our efforts towards innovations that truly align with our long-term objectives and customer needs.
Targeted Young Adults
As a small business owner, there have been times when I relied on intuition rather than solely on data, particularly during the early stages of developing my Christian Companion App. One notable instance was when we decided to target a specific demographic—young adults—based on my gut feeling that this group would benefit most from a modern Bible study tool.
At that point, our data was limited, and we hadn’t yet gathered enough user feedback to fully understand our audience. I felt strongly that integrating features appealing to younger users, such as interactive elements and social sharing options, would resonate well. This intuition was driven by my own experiences and observations of digital trends among young people.
The results were mixed but ultimately positive. Initially, our launch faced some challenges, as the intuitive approach didn’t perfectly align with all user needs. We encountered feedback indicating that while young adults were interested in the app, other demographics, including older users, also valued features we hadn’t emphasized enough. However, this intuitive choice did set a strong foundation for future development.
We used this early feedback to refine our strategy, incorporating data-driven adjustments alongside the original intuitive insights. By listening to both user data and intuitive hunches, we were able to create a more inclusive app that better served a wider audience. This blend of intuition and data ultimately led to increased engagement and user satisfaction.
This experience taught me the value of integrating intuition with data analysis. While intuition can guide initial decisions and inspire innovative ideas, data provides the feedback necessary to validate and refine those ideas. Balancing both approaches has become a key part of our strategy, ensuring we remain agile and responsive to our users' needs while also leveraging insights gained from data.
Invested in Live Chat
At RecurPost, one of our biggest turning points came when we decided to prioritize our gut feeling over data in building our customer-support model. Early on, our data suggested that most users preferred resolving issues via email. But based on my intuition about the growing importance of real-time interaction, we invested heavily in live-chat support instead. Initially, it seemed like a misstep—engagement was low, and our team was stretched thin. However, as we fine-tuned the process, live chat became our most effective channel, leading to faster resolutions and higher customer satisfaction. This experience taught me that while data is crucial, intuition can guide you to innovations that data alone might not reveal.
Expanded Service Offerings
At Right Lawyers, one instance where we relied on intuition over data was when we decided to expand our service offerings to include more family-law cases beyond just divorce. While our data suggested that divorce was the primary driver of business at the time, we began receiving inquiries from clients about child custody, adoption, and prenuptial agreements. Even though these areas weren't initially part of our core services, we felt that expanding into them would meet a growing demand, even though we didn’t have comprehensive data to back it up.
Our intuition told us that clients wanted a one-stop shop for all family-law matters, and rather than sticking solely to what the data showed, we trusted our gut and expanded our service areas. The result was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did we attract new clients for these additional services, but it also helped strengthen relationships with existing clients who needed assistance beyond divorce. This decision ultimately increased our revenue and positioned the firm as a comprehensive family-law provider, which led to more referrals.
The takeaway from this experience was that while data is invaluable for making informed decisions, sometimes intuition—especially when based on client feedback and emerging trends—can guide you toward opportunities that data might not yet reflect. In this case, trusting our intuition helped us grow and diversify our services in ways that aligned with our clients' evolving needs.
Offered Unique Floral Designs
There was a particular instance when I had to rely on intuition rather than data while planning for Mother’s Day—a peak season for florists. Despite having sales data from previous years suggesting that certain flower types would be popular again this year, something told me that trends were shifting toward more exotic arrangements as social media influences grew stronger. Trusting my gut feeling, I decided to invest in unique flowers that weren’t typically featured during this holiday.
The results were overwhelmingly positive! Customers responded enthusiastically to the fresh offerings and unique designs that stood out from traditional bouquets they’d seen elsewhere. This experience taught me that while data is invaluable for decision-making, there are times when intuition can lead you toward innovative ideas that resonate with evolving consumer preferences. Balancing both approaches has since become part of my strategy as an experienced florist navigating changing trends in the industry.
Acquired Rural Properties
An instance of relying on intuition for our small business over our data was the shift in focus for property acquisition from competitive larger cities to more rural areas. Our data, as well as others, showed strong markets in larger cities, which included abundant competition, significant increases in home acquisition pricing, and double-digit increases in business holding costs. With the increase in attractiveness of lifestyle changes, such as remote work and the desire for more space, rural acquisitions seemed to be a viable opportunity for our small business. Even with the increased risk profile, we developed a strategy and began acquiring rural market properties. Almost immediately, we found less competition, better pricing, and a constant demand, which boosted our revenue and opened new and exciting opportunities for our business.
Hired Based on Potential
As a business coach, intuition often plays a pivotal role in decision-making, especially when data is either incomplete or simply unavailable. In my own experience running a telecommunications company, there were moments when rapid decisions were necessary. For instance, early on, I had to decide whether to hire a promising candidate who did not fit the traditional profile on paper. The data said no, but my gut told me this person had the potential and attitude we needed. That hire turned out to be a key player in our growth, contributing significantly to our company culture and overall success.
While I always advocate for a data-driven approach, sometimes intuition is what bridges the gap when you are navigating uncertainty. However, it is essential to back those gut decisions with a plan to mitigate risks, ensuring that intuition complements the data, not replaces it.
Opened Holistic Salon
My intuition was the sole reason for opening my salon, and it worked out better than I could have imagined. Everyone in the beauty industry told me my salon focused on clean beauty and holistic practices wouldn't work out; it was too costly, and clients wouldn't pay for new, expensive services. Despite the lack of proof that I could make it work and the lack of support, I went with my intuition and looked beyond the beauty industry for clean, eco-friendly alternatives that met customers' expectations for traditional services and products. It wasn't easy, and I often felt alone, but connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs all over the world online gave me the courage to keep going. Thirteen years later, not only is my salon thriving, but I've also committed to helping other salon owners embrace clean, sustainable practices through my Holistic Salon Academy. My intuition led me to pioneer a movement that fills an education gap in the beauty industry.
