27 Jul 10 Tips to Growing a Successful Business (Part 1)

To have a successful Business today- You Need to BE:

1. Determined

This, for me, is the number one trait you need to succeed. As you learn to run and grow your own business there will be many successes – and when you have a success it can be easier to keep going.

But (unless you’re very lucky indeed) it’s overcoming the inevitable difficulties and setbacks that you’ll need lots of determination and perseverance for.

2. A Marketer

Yes, you need to be a marketer. Without learning to market yourself – no-one is going to know you’re there, and more importantly, no-one is going to care!

Unless you pay someone to do your marketing for you, you must learn enough about marketing to effectively market yourself.

? Marketing is only “bad” when people are dishonest/trick others. That’s not you!

“Marketing is about deciding

1. Who you want to help (your target market),
2. Understanding their problems and goals
3. Learning where they hang out so that you can…
4. Go there and tell them who you are, what you offer and how you can help them.
5. Do you know your Audience, their Problem(s) and have an appropriate Solution
6. Finally marketing is doing this in a way that your target market notices you – and understands what you’re saying!”  – Emma-Louise Elsey

3. Discerning

So many choices, so little time. As a business owner, you’ll be making choices all day long – big and small.

Like which business offers to accept, how much is enough to pay for a website or logo, which tasks to work on next, what your priorities are.

And you’ll also need to learn when to “stop flogging a dead horse”.

It’s a horrible expression, but there will be some tasks and goals where, despite the effort and hours you’ve already put in, you’ll need to stop and move onto something else more profitable.

It will take discernment (and learning from your mistakes along the way) to look at these tasks and decide whether you should persevere or let go and move on.

4. You

Running your own business, is a difficult “Hero’s Journey”.

The hero’s journey is about the universal human life journey to discover who you are – and be that person in the world.

It will change or deepen the type of business you own.

And if you’re willing to bring you into your business as you learn about yourself, to be vulnerable and try things, to use your unique learnings and experience in your business, you’ll find your success grows accordingly (and sometimes exponentially).

5. Willing to Let Go of Trying to Do Everything

For a while you’ll try to do everything yourself. And at the beginning where you’re trying to save money, that’s probably a good thing.

You’ll find out what you’re good at and what you’re not good at, what you enjoy doing and what you don’t.

Then you’ll reach a point where you realise you’re not getting the important stuff done (the actions that need you to do them) like following up with enquiries, creating that product, programme or workshop.

To succeed, you’ll need to recognise you simply don’t have enough time to do everything. You’ll need to delegate what you’re not good at/the repetitive stuff that requires less skill – so that you can focus on what’s really important.

Stay tuned for next 5 tips appearing on this blog next week Wednesday.

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Happy to discuss how the above applies to you and your business?