I love this quote from Oprah Winfrey; “Every time you suppress some part of yourself or allow others to play you small, you are in essence ignoring the owner’s manual your creator gave you and destroying your design”. So what does this have to do with my Business you ask? Great question! The reality is most Business challenges are personal challenges in disguise. OK, let’s pretend your Business looks and feels something like the following version.
You have this money machine you call your Business that makes significant money whether you show up or not. It is fun and exciting to own and your associates love coming to work everyday. You are the talk of the town, the one to watch and are respected and admired by your peers, even your competition. When your opinion is asked, everyone stops what they are doing and listens intently. You are the E.F. Hutton of your industry. Your advertising speaks directly to your target market, identifying their needs and wants and also that you provide the solution. The response to your ads is always good and the revenues generated are quite significant. Your customers are your friends and love sending you referrals because they know how well you take care of everyone. You are now in such a unique and profitable position you donate a sizeable amount of money every month to several of your favourite charities.
Does this sound like your Business or are you wondering what’s really in my water bottle? With all the design and makeover shows on the tube today perhaps it’s time to implement a strategy for an extreme makeover of your Business. Perhaps the mindset you need for this to be effective would be similar to the one you need when you are going to ruthlessly clean out your closet. You might start tossing or donating anything you haven’t worn in the last year and further pair that down to the last six months. Maybe it’s the garage or basement you must tackle for this to resonate for you. Perhaps it’s a complete renovation of your home right down to the framework. Isn’t it a great feeling when you get rid of the clutter in your life and have a new and stimulating project to tackle? You feel like a burden has been lifted, you can think with more clarity and get on with the more important things in your life.
So let’s apply this process to your Business and see if we can create the same revitalizing sensation. A good place to start a review is with your vision. Is the business you are in what you envisioned it would be when you started? If not, you might want to either change your vision or reevaluate why you haven’t achieved that vision. Along with the vision review what isyour target market. What have you learned about your target market now that you have been selling to them for awhile? Is it time to narrow your market or expand it? Sometimes an effective marketing strategy is to be an expert in a narrow field. Master one domain and you will be able to do just about anything you choose. When people observe your mastery in one area it is often perceived you do everything that way. As T. Harv Eckert likes to say, “How you do anything is how you do everything”. I hope that inspires and motivates you and doesn’t terrify you.
Sometimes stepping back and reviewing each area of your Business from Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Employee Hiring and Retention, Financial Management and Systemization can reveal where complacency has crept in.
Often times it is only minor adjustments in each area that can produce major improvements to your bottom line.
