November-December, 2019 Volume 15 -- Issue 92 Sometimes just knowing what you need to have or do to expand and grow your business isn’t enough. Not knowing how to make necessary changes, when and where to begin can become major barriers. It is like running into a very thick, high, wide wall. You are stopped dead in your tracks. You want to get back on your path to success beyond that wall, but [...]
I must admit to a well-intentioned, but bad habit. I've been dealing with it for a very long time and haven't really found a solution. I am a bit paranoid about breaking the habit and losing exceptional ideas and information. Notes and little scraps of paper with gems of wisdom only come around every once in a while. I can't control the growth and success of my company - or my clients' either, for that matter - if I don't put those ideas to work. I am in the midst of efforts to declutter my life. The older we get, [...]
'Designing Strategies' e-Newsletter Volume 14 Issue 77 Success – what does it mean? From a quick Google search, Success is defined as either: the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, or the attainment of popularity or profit. Ask any small business owner or entrepreneur what they want to get from their start-up enterprise and odds are, they will respond with: "Success.” or "I want to be successful." Sounds about right, doesn't it? In reality, those answers are simply not enough. What does success mean to you, as an individual, small business owner? [...]
freedigitalphotos.net | suat eman Success… we all aspire to it, talk about it, think about it. Sometimes, we even get a bit jealous of those who have achieved it. And, sometimes we are willing to fight for it. Achieving success comes from setting goals and accomplishing them. It brings with it great happiness and satisfaction once it has been reached. Working step by step toward your vision of success can provide new levels of happiness each day as we accomplish small tasks bringing us closer and closer to achieving that success. Each day that we focus on achieving that [...]
There are a number of important elements to any business aspiring to success. One of those elements is a good product or service. But, no matter how wonderful your products or services might be, unless there is an audience who sees value in them, and is willing to purchase them, they are pretty much worthless. This is where establishing a sales system strategy comes into play. Identifying target markets of people who will buy what you want to sell, then converting them into actual paying customers, may be the most important strategies you will face in developing a successful company. I found the [...]
"At age 50, everyone has the face he deserves." ~ George Orwell, Novelist As a small business owner, you have visions and dreams of launching and building a successful business. What Success means to you personally can vary. But, can you honestly tell yourself that you have achieved the business that you deserve? I'm not entirely sure where Mr. Orwell got his perspective on faces being deserved. I doubt that in his heyday people were inundated with advertisements for facial creams and cosmetic surgery to improve their looks. Back then, people believed a few wrinkles and age spots were signs [...]
In today’s world, business owners and leaders are inundated with information from all sides: newspapers, magazines, Internet sites, social media, blogs, white papers, news reports, e-mail marketing. It all seems endless – distracting and terribly confusing. Someone is constantly touting their next bright shiny object idea, in most cases guaranteed to distract you from a focused strategy that will take you and your firm where you want to be. These distractions can take many forms. The bright, shiny object might be a new software application, promises of doubling traffic to your website, a new marketing miracle, an expensive seminar or [...]
Snagging a huge new project is not a solid growth strategy. In fact, it's not growth strategy at all. A few years ago, there was a television commercial showing a business woman rushing back to her office, presentation portfolio in hand. In a voice bordering on elation, she announced their firm had been awarded 'The Contract.' Obviously, it was a sizable project, because as she dropped into her chair, she announced: "We're going to need more phones." Certainly we all covet those big clients with bigger, more profitable projects. What company doesn't dream of this scenario to serve as a stepping stone [...]
