Every day they are quoted on LinkedIn and Twitter while being turned into memes and GIFs for Facebook and Instagram; those doses of business success insight and inspiration that seem to drop like honey from the mouths of successful entrepreneurs.
Is the appetite for the inspirational quote just that? A moment of blinding light that very soon fades and makes absolutely no difference to the way you do things?
The story behind your business is as key to your success and credibility as is the story of any massively successful entrepreneur. But stories, if repeated and told over time, have a way of becoming almost mysterious or mythical.
When legend becomes fact, print the legend
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962
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Business Success: Myth vs Reality
Business success isn’t mysterious or mythical, it’s hard work. But when viewed through rose-coloured spectacles, re-told or reviewed over time we can start to believe the …
I had a penny in my pocket but I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and in two months I was on six figures
… fable.
What was the ‘real’ reality of the situation that person found themselves in
- Was there really only one penny in their pocket?
- Did they do it all alone by pulling themselves up – or did they have people they could turn to for advice and support?
- What plans did they create?
- How many hours a day did they put in? Were the six figure turnover, profit or salary?
I have a micro-business by accident.
I was born to be an employee and fell into entrepreneurship out of necessity as a MaturePreneur. I knew nothing about business and even less about how to get people to buy from me. I went on to make loads of mistakes, waste masses of money and become involved in ‘schemes’ that always seemed to offer me the moon but never really got me there.
Until I wised-up, went off and learned what I needed to learn (and still keep learning) and put the stuff I learned into action.
Business Success Comes from Knowing Business
That was the bare-bones of my story – but it doesn’t give you all the grisly details or explain all the stuff that happened to make my hair turn white!
And now I will hold my hands up and admit that I need that flash of energy and inspiration that a good quote or success story brings; I’m doing this ‘business-thing’ on my own and sometimes I am ‘running on empty’.
Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, I love the people I work with and I never (ever) want to go back to the 9 to 5 but, to keep it real, rather than offering you a list of inspirational quotes I want to share a few of my own, very hard-earned ‘truths’.
The 80/20 Rule (or Pareto Principle) Rules Your Business
When you start your business 80% of your time will be spent working on your business. Over time you should start to flip the percentage – this is where working smarter not harder comes in.
It could mean employing staff to take on some of the jobs you had to do as a small team or one-person operation. If you want to stay Micro, it could mean outsourcing.
If you have been in business for some time and you still have no choice but take on 80% of the tasks, with no sign of that changing, you have a problem and we should talk.
Nobody Loves Your Business But You
Just because you love what you do; just because you have drive and passion; just because you work really hard – it doesn’t mean you will have business success.
Passion for your product, service or idea will take you a long way – but growth will only happen when you understand that your main ‘job’ is to make others love it too.
They Say that, in Business, Rejection is Never Personal – But it Sure Feels Like It!
We very quickly have to develop a thick-skin because we have to get used to people not choosing to buy our products and services.
But, every time someone says ‘No’ it can feel very personal.
My biggest piece of advice (and this is from someone who still feels it every time), don’t wallow in the rejection. Find out why it was a ‘No’ – not the right time, not the right day, not the right experience, not the right price, not exactly what they are looking for, not the right customer – and use that knowledge to refine your offer so that the next time it may be a ‘Yes’.
Work for Business Success, but Plan for Failure
I’m not going to say too much here except, we learn far more when things go wrong than when they go right.
I always think of Sir James Dyson and his vacuum cleaner. He spent 15 years creating 5,126 versions that failed before he made the one that worked.
Maybe an extreme example, but if we expect success first time we are in for lots of disappointment.
Weekends, Evenings and Holidays (and definitely Bank Holidays) Don’t Exist
You may have left the 9 to 5, but you have also left sick pay, paid annual leave and bank holidays.
I work harder and longer now than I ever did as an employee, but it’s mine and i love it – so it doesn’t feel like work.
Ignorance is Not Bliss (and Will Cost You Money and Cause You Problems)
‘Business’ is a set of skills – ignore them at your peril.
You go into business to do the thing you love (and probably picture yourself doing it day-in / day-out for very happy customers). You can have that, but your knowledge and expertise of the thing you love isn’t enough.
Investing time, and money, on you business skills development is an essential.
The knowledge you develop will also help you make wise decisions about where and how you spend your money and the services you outsource.
Nurture Your Passion but Build Your Business with Perspiration
Short and sweet this one – business success will come from getting things done.
Clear, concise and easy to implement actions will drive success.
If you’re struggling to make that happen in your business, book a free Breakthrough Session with me.
Sometimes the Best Word to Say is ‘No’
Learning to say ‘No’ is a massive lesson in your business success journey.
These are my responses to two of the most common cause of the ‘No’ response:
- You’re offered an opportunity that, on the face of it looks great, but in the pit of your stomach feels not quite right – No
- Customers or potential customers asking you to decrease your price – No
If you would like to know how my business truths can help you towards business success, book a Breakthrough Session.
[…] I have learned personally and observed […]