16 May Get rich, lose weight and be happier.
Since starting The Good Life Consulting I have been bombarded with advertisements that tell me that if I do this “ONE THING” that my business will be an instant success. You know the ones I’m talking about…the ads you really don’t believe, but would like to!
- “10x more customers with this easy step”
- “Increase your revenue by $200K+ by joining our free Webinar”
- “Become an in-demand paid speaker by clicking on this link”
The messages (and expected results) are compelling and in the name of an open mind I actually have checked out many of these ads. I was pleased that most provided interesting, informative and relevant content. Usually about a very specific subject and almost always in list form. I left excited to try out the techniques and even implemented some of the suggestions. But I never got the advertised results. Why? Simple. Because there is no fast way to build a company. As a business owner you KNOW this fact, but running a company is difficult and it would be nice if there were some short cuts which is why we check out these types of ads.
Each company (whether you are a dentist, veterinarian, restaurant or shoe shop) is basically made up of 6 elements and all of them have to be actively managed to remain healthy in the long run.
Product Development
Marketing & Promotion
New Acquisition
Customer Loyalty & Retention
Team Productivity
Cost Containment
Most likely if you are running a small business you are doing most of these things yourself. Also likely is that you are playing a lot by ear. For example, do you have a 12-month marketing calendar? Or what is your strategy to increase customer retention? What’s your plan to improve employee productivity?
It’s okay, most small businesses are in the same boat.
I’m not trying to be a downer, actually I am trying to say – congratulations! You are a mighty conquerer and terrific visionary. You’ve done so much, look how far you have come making your dream a reality, great job!
The point is that being a small business owner is hard and is a lot of work. There are no silver bullets that you are missing out on, so take a deep breath and get back to work. Trust yourself. Oh, and if you don’t know how to do something, shoot me an email if I can’t help, I will find someone who can.