The Ugly Truth … Nine Things You Need to Know About Running a Small Business
By Brian Norris
Call 414-899-1905 or email info@briannorris.com1. Blind faith can kill your business before it even begins.
It's one thing to trust the universe. It's another thing, though, to expect fame and fortune without conditioning yourself to be ready when the opportunity presents itself. Faith is action verb. And faith without motion and physical works will get you nowhere. Faith comes by hearing, seeing and feeling knowledge. When we fill our lives with it, faith becomes real and fuels our belief system. Even if your success is spelled out in the cards, Destiny still needs a swift kick in the butt from time to time. The universe expects you to harness those skills already within you. The miracles of life are found in the ordinary. Everything, therefore, is divine. So stop waiting for miracles and get to work.
2. You must be truly passionate about what you do for a living. The question to ask is this: If you were not paid for your current vocation, would you continue doing it tomorrow?
Ego and pride are two different attributes. The first, ego, has no place in your existence. The second, pride is as critical to your longevity and success as income and food. Be proud of your contributions by living your message. Don't be shy about promoting yourself, your expertise and your uniqueness. No one cares about your success or failure more than you. Be an advocate and a role model. Others will want to emulate you. Imagine, a legion a faithful buyers, friends and associates walking around talking about you and the impact you've made in their lives. Each of us has a talent, product or service that can impact someone else.
3. We make our own luck.
Anyone can call themselves an expert or business professional. But the successful ones are those who create opportunities to shine. They take initiative. They dare to think differently. They are willing to question dogma and get slapped down every once in a while. Don't place your future in that lottery ticket or single client. The big break comes in the most unlikely of places, so always be alert and ready to demonstrate your expertise. Ask for help when you need it. Our humanity is more precious than an entire truckload of fortune cookies and rabbit's feet. Take the risk knowing that on the other side of the canyon whatever is there was supposed to be there. We learn from failure. The luckiest people in the world are those who learn quickly and adapt the most often to change. Now is the right place, the right time and precisely the right moment.
4. Successful business is based upon positive relationships.
You must cultivate long-term relationships rather than searching for the ubiquitous fast-buck. It's not what you know it's who you know. Connections matter. When you go to a networking event ask people who their idea buyers are and let them know you'll be looking for ways to keep them flush with new customers. Additionally, surround yourself with people whom you aspire to be like. Cultivate relationships with potential mentors, protégés and people who share your values.
5. Unless you're searching out your buyers with a magnifying glass and making yourself known to them personally, your chances of making it in this business are close to nil.
Learn to master the art of free or low cost marketing and publicity and stay in your buyers' faces. Repetition creates familiarity and familiarity creates new buyers.
6. Find yourself a handful of industries and start digging -- DEEP!
Sure your expertise or product might be generic enough to appeal to every organization on the planet. But generic marketing yields generic results. Generic results yield bankrupt businesses and broken dreams. Plus, there is the obvious fact that unless you're a Bill Gates, you don't have enough time or money to market yourself to every buyer on the planet!
7. Unless you have at least thirty thousand dollars in your bank account right now, don't quit your day job!
Quit your steady job only when staying is preventing you from earning more income. I used to be the most optimistic human being on the planet until they shut my phones off and I went broke by being a foolish businessperson. Having to go back to working nights waiting tables to pay bills put things into the proper perspective real quick. Now, I'm the most realistically, cautiously optimistic human being on the planet. So until you've got a safety net or a very rich uncle, build your business slowly. Dream big and start small.
8. When you do hang your shingle out, keep your overhead low.
Learn to do your own marketing and positioning. (I'd rather show you how than do it for you anyway!) Learn how to write your own copy, produce your own brochures, write your own press releases, create your own seminars, and become the expert and celebrity ON YOUR OWN! You can read every book at Barnes & Nobles, hire me to coach you for a few sessions or attend do-it-yourself marketing seminars.
Don't get an official business telephone line until you're making the money to pay for the higher monthly rates. Don't start taking credit cards until you know for certain that you'll attract more clients. Make them pay by check or cash as long as possible. Don't buy the best office furniture and latest doodads -- yet. Pay yourself every month. Keep your ego in check all times. Stay humble and don't spend your money foolishly. No matter how good things are now, there will be a few bleak winters ahead. Money isn't everything, but it is essential if you intend to stay in business.
9. There is a myth perpetuated amongst organizations that it's easy to succeed as an entrepreneur.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
What makes you different from 20 million other entrepreneurs and small business owners? What are you doing to position yourself? Why should your buyers look at your postcards, brochures, one-sheets, web sites, sales letters over the other hundreds of mailings they receive every day? The truth is you must be creative and work feverishly to establish yourself and your products or services. What are you doing to make your name synonymous with a way of life, an industry solution -- a household name?
Brian Norris coaches, speaks and works with individuals and organizations eager to grow their business and find meaning in what they do. Brian may be reached by calling 414-899-1905, emailing info@briannorris.com or visiting www.BrianNorris.com
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