Anyone who has ever run a business that they started knows that it is not an easy thing to do. Sure, there are high success stories that we all read about where somebody had a great idea and made millions of dollars. But let’s be honest, that’s the exception to the rule. For the millions of other business owners who have started their own businesses and are running them today in today’s difficult market here are seven things that can help you stay in business.
- Make sure that everything your business says and does is directly related to why you started the business in the first place. It’s very easy for a business to start to wander by following after new opportunities that have almost nothing to do with the primary core purpose of the business simply to make money. If you’re running a coffee shop don’t try and become the next supermarket for convenience shopping.
- Finding the easiest and cheapest way of doing things is not always the best way. Pick what best represents what your company is about and make purchases that reflect and represent those values.
- Never give up! Knowing and believing that better days are coming regardless of current circumstances is fuel enough to the help keep you fighting to win another day. How many businesses go out of business simply because their owners do not have the grit it takes to build lasting ones.
- Watch your attitude! A know it all is not someone most people want to know at all. Remembering that the customer is almost always right is the best attitude to follow.
- No your own limitations. Many business owners want to do it all because it’s the cheapest way to get it done and because they think that they can do it better than anyone else. This is baloney. The smart money is on doing what you are best at doing and getting others to do the rest.
Since only one out of 10 businesses make it to year 10, paying attention to these five things identified above can help you become that one.