There’s a vast number of books written about growing a successful business. There are even more tips and strategies on the web and social media. Some of it is great and others…. Well not so much.
But one thing I’ve noticed is that there are some business principles that we don’t talk about very often. Perhaps we are afraid to talk about them; others we might think ‘everyone knows that’; and others….. we just ignore.
Here are a couple of business principles that I felt were important to share and consider as we start the New Year:
1. There is no ONE ‘proven’ way to do anything. No expert or guru who’s been successful in THEIR domain can tell you what’s best for you with 100% certainty. That’s why cookie-cutter blueprints don’t always work to bring you success.
2. Unplugging from your business and cultivating calm is your key to doing masterful work. You cannot produce quality with a hyped-up nervous system, from an energy of feeling ‘not enough’, or feeling that you have to prove yourself. Operating from a pressured, frantic or chaotic state will only attract more frantic chaotic-ness, and will have you on the fast-track to burnout. (When was the last time you totally unplugged and cultivated calm?)
3. Grow sustainably, not quickly. You need to lay the practical foundations to sustain your business growth, otherwise, you’re building on hot air and lack of experience. You can only take people as deep as you’ve gone yourself. See every experience as a building block. Get grounded in who you are and what you truly do before scaling or taking on more. And this can take time. (Are you building a rinse & repeat foundation?)
4. Understand what is fueling your goals. What is deeply motivating you? Are you making your income, status and appearance about you? Why are these things important? Who are you without these things? Who is the human behind the brand? What does he or she value? Are you sharing that ‘human’?
5. Success is the byproduct of being a valuable human being and service provider, they’re not the goal itself. The happiest and most successful people build uncomplicated businesses helping people they love, and doing work they enjoy. Their dedication to being of value and serving from a place of alignment is what creates their wealth, not the lofty goal of becoming wealthy itself. (How can you simplify your business?)
6. Only create offers, products, and services that truly fall within your zone of genius, scope of experience, and that you feel good about doing repeatedly. Veering too far off your lane is what creates tension between you and your customers, and puts pressure on you to create results you’re not 100% comfortable in producing yet. Ask yourself:
What could you do all day, every day, even if you didn’t get paid?
What results could you bring your clients EASILY?
7. Don’t allow your desire for growth to hinder your ability to deliver. It’s easy to get so caught up in wanting MORE that we forget to nurture those who have already trusted us enough to invest. Bigger is not always better. Nurture those clients who have already purchased from you. (There’s a myth that I call, The M-Myth – the myth that success comes from doing more; having more; more, more more).
8. Just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you should. Capability does not equal capacity — smart leaders understand how to leverage not only their time but their energetic bandwidth to focus and deliver on the things that yield the most results without exerting themselves. Take inventory of all the non-essential commitments, tasks, and self-imposed projects that are leaking your energy so you clean up what doesn’t fall within your scope of genius. Discover what you can double down on and what to let go.
9. The way you do ONE thing is the way you do everything! While this is the title of Suzanne Evans’s best-selling book, it’s also a business principle. This past month, I had a client who wasn’t responding to emails, etc. She wasn’t communicating A quick review of her business showed that there were places in her business where she wasn’t communicating with her own prospects, clients and leads. The way she did one thing was the way she did everything!
I’d love to hear your feedback on this list of unspoken business principles!
Do you agree/disagree? What else would you like to see on this list?
YOU CAN DO THIS!
Diana
