Whenever we are on a road trip, we pick up gas station snacks. After all, what are long car rides without some beef jerky, trail mix, and cherry coke (zero)? Somehow, we never quite make it to the bottom of the 16 oz. Coke bottles. 

Have you ever returned from a road trip and left some coke in a bottle? 

Once, I was back in the car feeling parched the next day, so I reached for the tiny remnant of coke in the bottle next to the steering wheel. How bad could it be? 

If you have ever done this, you know the answer; it is worse than you even think it will be. It is entirely flat, lukewarm, and syrupy. The soda equivalent of wearing wet socks replaces the crisp, cold magic fizzing on your tastebuds. 

We get it; warm, flat car coke is terrible – what’s the point?

It is the same essential soda in the bottle, but it is in the wrong environment, and a critical feature, the carbonation, is missing. A soda that was once enjoyable is now disgusting. If coke sold warm, flat bottles of their product, it wouldn’t be popular. 

What if your business or product is excellent, but you are selling the warm, flat version of it? Maybe you need a few minor tweaks and a change of marketplace to excel. 

Often pivoting doesn’t mean changing your entire business model; it could just be a new target audience (moving the coke from the car to the fridge). Maybe you don’t need all-new features – a small iteration will make an immense difference in how your business is received (add in some carbonation). 

In business, it is worth constantly evaluating positioning, features, and the marketplace.