I have come up with five secrets of improving the chances of a new business surviving and with luck - something we all need - flourishing.
Starting a business takes huge amounts of hard work and time so you had better enjoy doing it. When I thought of starting an online venture through Fylis, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn't set out to build a business empire. I simply wanted to create something people would enjoy using, have fun doing it and at the end of the day prayed that it would make enough to pay my bills.
For me building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that's going to make a real difference to other people's lives.
Business people are not unlike artists. What you have when you start a company is blank canvas; you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or woman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves and it's not that easy to paint over your mistake!
If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference and achieves that objective, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.
Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you've got to do something radically different to make your mark today.
Look at the most successful business of the past twenty years. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook all shook up the world we live in by doing things that had never been done before and then by continually innovating. They are now among the dominating forces.
Not everyone can aspire to such levels; however, should you decide to enter an already crowded segment you had better to be ready to offer customer service that blows the competition away.
1) IF YOU DON'T ENJOY IT DON'T DO IT.
Starting a business takes huge amounts of hard work and time so you had better enjoy doing it. When I thought of starting an online venture through Fylis, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn't set out to build a business empire. I simply wanted to create something people would enjoy using, have fun doing it and at the end of the day prayed that it would make enough to pay my bills.For me building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that's going to make a real difference to other people's lives.
Business people are not unlike artists. What you have when you start a company is blank canvas; you have to fill it. Just as a good artist has to get every single detail right on that canvas, a businessman or woman has to get every single little thing right when first setting up in business in order to succeed. However, unlike a work of art, the business is never finished. It constantly evolves and it's not that easy to paint over your mistake!
If a businessperson sets out to make a real difference and achieves that objective, he or she will be able to pay the bills and have a successful business to boot.
2) BE INNOVATIVE- Create something different.
Whether you have a product, a service or a brand, it is not easy to start a company and to survive and thrive in the modern world. In fact, you've got to do something radically different to make your mark today.Look at the most successful business of the past twenty years. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook all shook up the world we live in by doing things that had never been done before and then by continually innovating. They are now among the dominating forces.
Not everyone can aspire to such levels; however, should you decide to enter an already crowded segment you had better to be ready to offer customer service that blows the competition away.
3) PRIDE OF ASSOCIATION WORKS WONDERS
Business are nothing more than a group of people, and they are by far and away your biggest assets. In fact in probably the majority of businesses your people are your product.
For me there is nothing sadder than hearing someone being apologetic about the place where they are working. When people are proud to be associated with their company it generates a special level of advocacy and dedication that is a huge differentiator in a world full of mediocrity and indifference.
4) LEAD BY LISTENING
To be good leader you have to be a great listener. Sure, you need to know your own mind, but there is no point in imposing your views on others without some debate and degree of consensus. No one has monopoly on good ideas or good advice. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them. As a leader you've also got to be extremely good at lavishing praise. Never openly criticize people; never lose your temper, and always be quick to applaud a job well done.
People flourish on praise. Usually they don't need to be told when they've done wrong because most of the time they know it.
5) BE VISIBLE
A good leader doesn't get stuck behind a desk. A good leader is constantly out and about, meeting people. He visualizes his dreams and always work for it. You should always try to meet as many people as possible, be it your employees, customers or a random person, you will come up with a dozen or more good suggestions or ideas. Write it down, if you don't write them down you'll remember only a few, but putting them in notebook means you'll remember all. Talk to your staff and customers at every opportunity, listen to what they tell you, good or bad, and act on it.
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