Surviving competitive scare in business

In the event of flooding or heavy rains some crocodiles migrate from Lake Chivero to the irrigation dam.
The farm manager at Carolina normally instructs the game scouts to shoot the crocodiles once they are seen in the dam.
This greatly reduces the likelihood of crocodiles in Carolina Dam though this does not totally eliminate the risk.
Our “research” results were also conclusive that a crocodile can never attack a person in a boat.
On this fateful day fishing was extremely slow.
We were probably fishing during the minor feeding hours of bass.
After spending an unfruitful three hours fishing we decided to sail to the entrance of the dam so that we could try another dam elsewhere.
We drove our boat into the weeds.
The moment we approached a curve where there were no discernible weeds I was attacked by a crocodile, which went for my back, leaving me with two deep wounds.
I felt as if a log had hit me. The impact itself was more painful than the two deep wounds on my back.
I managed to distract the crocodile by hitting its womb with my oar.
However, I fell towards where Chris was and our boat capsized.
Despite the scare I swam faster than Alister and Chris to the shore.
The crocodile could not catch up with us quickly. It later resurfaced at a distance.
By that time we were safely out of the dam minus all our fishing equipment which we had been forced to surrender voluntarily in our haste to get ashore.
It was indeed a traumatic experience for all of us. Chris fell down 20 metres away from the dam presumably from pressure.
All of us agreed that it was going to be difficult to come back for fishing again.
Alister in particular was shaken. Several questions flooded my mind.
How do we restart after a scare? Are competitors’ dirty tricks good enough to prevent us from following our visions?
Do we quit when we encounter challenges or we find new strength to restart all over again?
Fishing is a hazardous occupation, so is business. Some competitors out there are uncouth and unethical like crocodiles.
Though some competitors appear friendly, they can be as sly and aggressive as a crocodile.
At times we believe our competitors can never use certain unethical practices in an effort to get a slice of the market but we will be fooling ourselves to think like that.
Very few competitors are friendly and respectful of the laws governing competition.
Even if they do, at times circumstances can force them to abandon their modus operandi and opt for unscrupulous methods in order to survive.
Crocodiles are not known to attack people in a boat but if they are desperate for food, they attack even from the seemingly protected areas.
This then implies that the fisherman must always be prepared mentally, spiritually and physically to overcome such hazards in the dam.
I remember five years ago reading a story of how the Pioneer buses were stoned by thugs hired by the some operators with buses plying the Harare-Mutare route, all in an effort to scare away the new entrant (Pioneer).
However, Pioneer persevered and is still plying Harare-Mutare route.
Between 1996 and 2000 there were two major competitive scares in the bus industry.
The first one occurred when Kukura Kurerwa Bus Company introduced the new luxury Volvo buses on major routes around 1996.
During that time the market was dominated by DAF buses, which were designed primarily for rough roads in the rural areas.
This new product transformed the bus industry. Small bus operators who failed to jump on the bandwagon of Volvo buses fell by the wayside.
Big operators who adjusted late lost a significant size of their market.
The major highways began to be dominated by two or three players only because the small players were restricted to the rural markets.
The second crocodile attack occurred in 2000 when a major fare price war occurred.
As war spread to all major roads in Zimbabwe, some operators like Chawasarira were ferrying passengers from Harare to Bulawayo (a distance of 436 kilometres) for free.
Others were charging next to nothing. As a result some new operators and some old undercapitalised operators wound up operations.
Small operators either went bankrupt or continued plying the less lucrative rural roads.
Only operators with deep pockets remained on the highways.
The fittest operators remained in operation on the country’s major highways.
Competitors can also manufacture substandard products and push them into the market using your company’s packaging.
Though this is not ethical and against the laws of our country, the competitors do it.
At worst case scenario, this can lead to litigation and serious brand erosion.
I witnessed a competitor’s scare when I was working for CLC Real Estate Company in Zimbabwe.
The owner of CLC Real Estate was a very generous man who was committed to staff development.
He financed one of his key and trusted property negotiators to attain a diploma in real estate management and valuations.
After completing the studies, the negotiator formed his own company and he went away with two top valuers, six top negotiators and two top leasing officers that left CLC on its knees.
Unfortunately CLC never recovered and at the time of writing the brand no longer exists.
CLC died from a vicious attack inflicted by a crocodile.
Though CLC did not die instantly, she failed to pick the momentum after the vicious attack.
CLC behaved like my fishing partners who are likely to quit the sport after the attack.