How to run a business! Oh, where to start? There is so much to know and every single business is so unique that many of the pointers you need won’t be in this post. Read it anyway, because guaranteed, you will find at least one thing of value to help you be great at whatever it is you do!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
FYI, I’m speaking to small business owners here but if you’re a CEO of a major corporation I hope you find something of value here or at least enjoy the read!
Being the Ship
Imagine the deck of a cruise ship filled with people. Some there for leisure, others for work. Tonnes of cargo, deck chairs, tables, sunshades, and staff bustling around attending to the clients.
That ship is bearing the load of all the things and people it carries.
It is quiet in its’ role and asks for no recognition. Regardless of what criticisms are made about it, it does the job it was built for. Bearing its load.
If you own a business you will find yourself bearing the load. When an employee (if you have any) drops a ball you need to make sure your ball skills are up for the challenge. Creativity in problem solving and damage control is a must because mistakes will happen.
One vital thing to remember. It’s your business!
It’s your “baby”. You own it and all that comes with it. The responsibility is yours. That’s the tough part of running a business. Something goes wrong – whether or not it was your fault – you deal with it.
Don’t Burn the Candle at Both Ends
I love business, in fact, I thrive on it! Knowing my niche and working hard in it to create an ever-growing and improving business is just my thing!
My husband and I have opened and run three successful businesses in the past each unique in their niche and highly competitive in quality of product and professional approach.
Each one was built from the ground up without a loan or hardly any resources to start with. And a little secret, how to run a business was not something we had much experience in! So, we learned “on the job” and in less than a year we were seeing great results!
We worked endless hours, advertised, networked, cried (well I did, not my hubby), prayed, slept far too little, tried and failed and tried again. If something didn’t work we problem solved.
It was a journey! Although we achieved what we set out to do we came very close to burn out. Believe me, that’s a bad place to be! A very valuable tip is learning how to achieve a healthy balance.
Read more about it in, Tired of Being Told to Hustle? How to Be Successful Without Burning Out.
Do not push yourself to the point of burn out – It’s not worth it!
So, the result of our hard work – three thriving, profitable businesses, built on a foundation we had lain and knew every aspect of.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur on the verge of starting out – expect hard work. And if you already own a great company – keep going!
Stand Out From The Rest
Businesses flourish and live and breathe when they do not consider others as competitors.
They will take on the face of the companies around them if they are constantly comparing themselves to those companies.
The key to a flourishing business that stands out is not when it is in competition with others but rather when that company views itself as its’ own competition.
Sounds a bit confusing, I know, but stay with me. Here’s the explanation – in growing our businesses we noticed that our best work was achieved when we measured our work against our own previous work.
When we looked at similar companies, we got caught up in their ideas, advertising, and what made them unique. We’d end up feeling like we were failing.
We forgot the measuring stick which we should have been using was our own.
Don’t ever use someone else’s measuring stick to size up your company, it won’t be a true reflection!
Don’t be afraid to make your business your own!
Our businesses were unique because we had tailored them to be that way.
Don’t get me wrong, some aspects of every business will have similarities but it’s vital to remember the core of what makes your business unique.
Keep Them Coming Back
Trust me. Your clients don’t keep coming back because you offer the same service or product as everyone else. So, offer what you believe to be the BEST possible product or service. Then, get creative competing with your own standards.
Focus on self-improvement and a well-rounded score of 10/10 on every aspect of what your clients view as your business or anything connected to it. This is what will definitely keep your customers coming back!
Make Things Easy
People will subconsciously take the easier option every time.
Test this theory out if you don’t believe it. Just watch a crowd when they have the option of steps or an elevator. If there’s enough room they will take the elevator. Seems pretty basic right? And it works in business too.
If there’s one thing you take from my advice on how to run your business, it’s this – make things easy.
So make every last detail of your business as customer-friendly and easy as you can. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and see what could cause a potential inconvenience. Then make a change.
Remember, success in business is in the organized detail.
So organize your details, be creative, and run your business your way!
