09 Jan The five cornerstones of running a successful business Business Development Coaching

The five cornerstones of running a successful business

You’ve had a great idea for a business. You know it will be profitable. You’ve already got customers queuing up for your goods or services. The stationery’s printed and your website’s up and running.

Think the hard part’s done? Think again.

When you’re fully enveloped in the white heat of running your own business, missiles come at you from all angles – finance issues, people problems, difficult clients, productivity snags.

The moving parts are endless and pretty soon it can feel like all the joy has been sapped out of what you’re doing. What about your development? Wasn’t this supposed to be fulfilling?

There’s a fine line between hero and zero

As a business coach, I’ve met countless owners and entrepreneurs struggling to keep all their plates spinning.

The fact is, whatever you’re good at – accounting, selling, getting products to market, people management – something will come along that you’ve never seen before or a situation will arise that leaves you floundering, with no idea what to do next.

Get the next step right and you’re a hero. Get it wrong and you could find yourself wondering why you ever started your business in the first place.

You have to plan for the missile strikes

My passion lies in helping people establish the sustainable, thriving companies they pictured when they set out on their journey.

And that means dodging the missiles – or at least planning for their impact and knowing how to deal with them.

In all my years of talking to business owners and helping them overcome the obstacles in their path, things do crop that are out of the ordinary. However, the bulk of my work falls into distinct categories, five core areas that cover the bases when it comes to running a successful business:

1. Finance – In order to sustain your business, you need control of your cashflow. Bringing in enough money this month to pay yourself and your team is one thing but what about next month? The month after? How’s your profitability? How do you work out your projections?
2. Team – The biggest, most successful business in the world can be brought down by hiring the wrong person to a key position. I can share best practice on ensuring your recruitment processes are right and how to retain the top talent that will take your business to the next level.
3. Marketing – You might have developed the finest products or services known to man but if no-one knows about them, what’s the point? Effective marketing means reaching more customers, boosting sales and ultimately driving your bottom line.
4. Operations – Sometimes the imperative to get your products out there means you can lose focus on the elements that go into making your business successful. Streamlining systems and processes can save you cash, allow you to push the business on or even recruit more people.
5. Leadership – As a business owner, people will come to you for answers and suggestion, they’ll expect you to solve their problems and lead from the front. I can show you how to live up to their expectations, boosting your own leadership skills while confidently keeping the show on the road.

Whatever problem you’re facing, we can deal with it together

Don’t get me wrong, there’s more to running a business than those five points and there’s many granular skills involved in mastering them – more than 50 competencies in total.

But that’s where I come in. As a Certified Systems Business Coach® (SBC), I know what tools your business needs to flourish. I can show you how to add those competencies to your arsenal and make you into the business owner you have always wanted to be.

I love partnering with entrepreneurs to:

• Uncover which competency is holding you back.
• Create a personalised plan to level up your abilities.
• Provide accountability and support every step of the way.

Running a business is never easy. But an expert coach by your side can be like having the cheat codes in your back pocket. I’ve seen the holes in the road you will approach three, six, nine months into your journey – and I can show you how to navigate your way round them.

Whether you’re looking to take your business to the next level, start again with a fresh approach or if you just need someone to keep you accountable, I can help. Book a free discovery call with me by clicking here and let’s explore how coaching could accelerate your growth.