I believe trouble comes in bunches. There’s no such thing as luck, good or bad. We all have storms in our life. Some weather the storms better than others. By working hard and being honest, you’ll find that when a storm comes your way, you will always have the money, friends, and resources to see you through. Don’t count on luck to help you, and don’t bemoan it as the reason for problems.
Those things you set into habit are the things that guide you when the trouble comes. If you’re standing on firm ground through practiced moral principles and are developing sound business relationships, you’ll weather just about any storm that comes your way.
There are four simple steps in growing, improving or rebuilding a business. Most of your competitors just won’t get it. The first step is to recognize you have a problem. You have to see that there’s room for improvement. That’s where most have their downfall. Once you recognize the problem, the second step is to define it more closely. Once you’ve done that, then you devise a plan to address the issues you’ve defined.
But the fourth and most difficult step is still in front of you: executing your plan. This part can be immeasurably painful because it requires a massive amount of new discipline. You’ll have to deal with a whole new sector of problems because you’re going to go beyond where you once were.
The funny part is that nearly all your competitors won’t get it. Most know there is something amiss, the engine isn’t running an all the cylinders, and mama didn’t get her usual new car last year. They may even be piddling over a solution, but I can promise you they don’t have a plan.
They haven’t committed anything to writing. It can be as simple as listing what is wrong, with the solutions, and a timeline for planning. Hopefully, you will use your operating metrics to identify the problems, and whether they are bigger than a breadbox or smaller than a car, and then to track your implementation of solutions. By looking at the metrics, you can see if you are making progress.
So, if you do it, guess what? You win! They will be left behind.
So, what are you waiting for?
Check out the website for my book Green Weenies and Due Diligence, www.greenweenies.com, to learn all the backroom business terms. There are 1,200+ terms in over 300 pages, with hilarious illustrations by world famous Gahan Wilson. If you want to know what a three fingered booger is, or what’s in a train wreck envelope, it’s the only place to go! Remember, only you can make BUSINESS GREAT! Next month, more from chapter six of How to Salvage Millions from Your Small Business.
Ron Sturgeon, Mr. Mission Possible, has been a successful business owner for more than 35 years. As a small business consultant, he can deliver wisdom and advice gleaned from an enviable business career that started when he opened a VW repair business as a homeless 17-year-old and culminated in the sale of several businesses he built to Fortune 500 companies.
Ron has helped bankers, lawyers, insurance agents, restaurant owners, and body shop owners, as well as countless salvage yard owners to become more successful business people. He is an expert in helping small business owners set the right business strategies, implement pay-for- performance, and find new customers on the web.
As a consultant, Ron shares his expertise in strategic planning, capitalization, compensation, growing market share, and more in his signature plainspoken style, providing field-proven, and high-profit best practices well ahead of the business news curve. Ron is the author of nine books, including How to Salvage More Millions from Your Small Business.
To inquire about consulting or keynote speaking, contact Ron at 817-834-3625, ext. 232, rons@MrMissionPossible.com, 5940 Eden, Haltom City, TX 76117.