In-Cumbria's Business Doctor gives business owners advice on how taking time to reflect on your business can help you succeed.
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Having had a few days off with the family over Easter, I found time to read “Will it make the boat go faster” by Ben Hunt-Davis and Harriet Beveridge (on recommendation from a client). On reflection if you want to succeed in business, sport or in life generally, there are lots of similarities.
1. It is about keeping things simple
2. Being clear on your vision or goal
3. Having and working to a plan,
4. Sharing your vision and plans with family, friends and employees, obtaining their input and ideas
5. Creating a support network around you, to share ideas, results, challenges and disappointments regularly – sometimes just as a sounding board and to help you offload.
6. Then reviewing, learning, adapting and consistently focusing on the process.
There are no short cuts to success, so by sticking to these principles through high and low water you will succeed over time.
Therefore do not just spend all your time and money chasing those big new clients and large value, turnover contracts but strategically focus on what makes you the most profit/margin and distinguishes you from the competition. Also don’t forget to look after your existing customers and key relationships. As there’s probably a lot of extra business you can harvest within your existing customer base.
But please note, to improve and be successful, you will have to change your own behaviours and habits.
It’s about creating a culture around you, with a clear purpose to engage and improve your key relationships and therefore reputation. Then you are likely to succeed in your quest to achieve your personal and business goals.
Sounds easy doesn’t it!
However it can be very difficult to implement. It is almost impossible to achieve your dreams on your own and I hear continually that owning a business can be a very lonely place! Which I totally agree with from my own perspective. So my questions to you are;
What have you read, listened too, watched, attended or been inspired by recently to help you change your behaviours and habits?
Has this resulted in you becoming more effective and efficient in your own business or area of expertise?
Have you recognised any clear gaps or weaknesses in delivering your own vision?
Where have you found that external support? Or what have you struggled to find to complement your own skills?
Finally
What would be the ideal solution to help you achieve your aspirations?
Therefore I would be keen to hear from any business owners who would work together, willingly share stories, successes, failures and ideas, then learn from others “peer to peer”. Collectively we could improve ourselves, our businesses and work-life balance in unison!
Aristotle famously said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.
If you are looking to review or grow your business even in these turbulent times, Business Doctors Cumbria offers an initial free business health check and, can help you to establish a clear vision, to start working on the steps to fulfil your aspirations.
For further information please contact Peter Fleming 0845 163 1490 or 07966 686112
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