Listen

Use Your Senses Proportionally

Yes, I know you have heard this before, but please. You have one mouth and two ears. Get in to the habit early on of listening. Listen to everyone. Don’t just listen to your peers and superiors, listen to your team, listen to your prospects, listen to your suppliers. When I say listen, I mean really listen. This is often some of the best advice you will get and what’s more it is most often FREE! Not everything you hear you will want to hear and not everything you hear will be of any use. BUT, please just make sure you make listening one of your biggest skills and attributes. It will serve you and your business well.

KISS

Yes, Keep it Simple Stupid!

No, I am not being rude…..I am hopefully highlighting that, whilst your business does indeed need to stand out you need to make sure what you do is simple. Often people go in to business because they know they can either make a product better than their competition or deliver a service more efficiently. However, when you consider the changes you would make, take a moment to ensure that you are not introducing complexity for the sake of it. One simple solution is far better than a bunch of complex solutions. There’s hundreds of solutions out there waiting to be found. Keep it simple and you’re much more likely to succeed.

Road Maps

Is It Quicker With or Without a SatNav?

Now apart from the occasional naviagtion error, most of us agree that when heading to a destination we do not know, it is far quicker to get there when we consult the SatNav. Can you imagine setting off from home and heading across country to a place you have never been? Yes, there are road signs along the way to guide you, but is there really enough detail to get you from A to B?

Starting a successful business is no different.

The road map you need is your business plan. Here you will set out what you see as your destination – ie your business goal, and then list the stages you need to take to get there. Without this business road map you will be going round and round in circles and not getting anywhere close to your destination. Once you have your stages mapped out you can check your progress and make adjustments where necessary.

Please do not make the mistake of thinking this is an unnecessary bit of admin – you’ll find you progress more quickly when you know what you have to achieve at each stage and you ensure you do not get so bogged down in the day to day running of your business that you lose sight of your business goal.

If you need help putting your business plan together then contact us now using the short form opposite or call us on 07533 927015.

Fun

I’m in the “Fun” Business. Are You?

Do you jump out of bed in the morning and look forward to getting to work on your business? Hand on heart do you enjoy what you are doing?

Having fun may not seem like the highest priority when you are endeavouring to get your new business off the ground and successful. However, think about it. If you are having fun, what kind of environment are you creating? Hopefully, the words POSITIVE. INNOVATIVE. CREATIVE spring to mind. In this kind of environment your business will flourish.

Now, think for a minute of the environment you create when you are not enjoying your work. NEGATIVE. Nobody likes working in a negative environment. You create a sluggish environment that quickly stifles creativity and drive. This will ultimately strangle your business.

If you are not enjoying what you are doing get out of it. Or, if you are not enjoying your work because you are stressed – DEAL with your stress. Don’t expect everyone around you to work harder in this environment. They won’t because you are suffocating their desire and motivation.

Put fun at the top of your list, Go to work and enjoy it. Share a joke and encourage laughter. ALL aspects of your business will be better for it.

Pride

What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud?

How proud are you of your business? Think about it and really feel it. You’ve create a product or service and you should feel really really proud. Highlight everything about your business that you should be proud of and make sure your suppliers, team and customers know about it. Encourage and help anyone working with you on your business to feel the pride too. When people feel pride they ultimately deliver a better service. If they deliver a better service your reputation and your business grows….

By the way, it goes without saying. If there are aspects of your new business that you are not proud of, then make it a priority to change that. However whilst you are working on a plan to change those aspects keep focussed on the areas of your business that you are proud of.

Failure

Forget That…

If your first business venture has failed please do not let this affect you. Many very successful entrepreneurs have had at least one failure. The difference with these guys is that they learn to pick themselves up, learn the lessons from the failure and start again. So, if your business is not working, face it. Don’t get down. Pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start again. Learning from failure turns it in to a positive experience that benefits your future endeavours…

Support That Gets You There Faster

Remember, we are here if you need any help with your business. Whether you have a short term requirement or a longer term need you’ll find we have cost effective solutions that will help your business grow profitably. Do not hesitate to make contact and we can find offer you options to suit your needs and pocket. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve your business goals.