I thought for this Blog posting I would share with you some of the content of my presentation at "The BIG Business Event" which we ran recently as Make A Difference.
The purpose of the event was to give participants knowledge, information and strategies to enable them to Grow their Business and be successful in whatever venture they are involved in.
We looked at Four Principles that I have personally lived by and implemented across private, charity, public and Social Enterprise sector work covering the 25 years I have been involved in Business Development and Growth. The principles revolve around the acronym GROW!
G stands for Grit & Determination. Successful people in life and Business especially, have to endure challenges, setbacks, disappointments and frustration which can easily sink the ship of venture. Those who succeed and see success are those who develop Grit and Determination. This is fuelled by a clear vision of what they want to achieve in life and Business and this is what enables them to see things through the toughest of times and circumstances.
R stands for Review & Reflect. Successful people are continually Reviewing what they do and the end results. If things worked out well with that particular venture, what made it work and how can we repeat this and also ensure we can do it bigger and better in the future? If things didn't work out as planned, then why not, what went wrong, what do we need to do differently to get this back on track and performing? Constant review is the key to increased performance, quality and success in life and Business. It is also good to Reflect on where you have come from, are you on track with where you are going and aiming for, and if not why not and what do you need to change. This is a process of Continual Improvement and is key to Success!
O stands for Observe. Successful people are aware of their situation, environment and area of Business and Life! They become experts in their field, monitor the competition, look at the horizon for the next innovation to come down the road and they get in there early because of what they observe! If you want to stay ahead of the competition, be Observant and scan the horizon for the next thing that the market will buy into and be an early adopter to get the lions share.
W stands for Want. Successful people stand out from average achievers as the Successful person Wants the success and to achieve. This is what drives them! Often they have put everything on the line because of their vision and belief in what they are doing and they Want to succeed, often at ALL costs. Do you have that desire, that drive, that WANT to succeed in what you are doing?
If you adopt the above as habits and a lifestyle, Success will find you and the journey will be easier.
Enjoy, Adopt, Practice and GROW!
Friday 4 April 2014
Sunday 23 March 2014
In It or On It - What Grows Your Business Most?
Anyone who has ever listened to, let alone engaged the services of a Business Coach will have heard the instruction and guidance that "we should be working ON our Business, NOT In the Business" for us to achieve great Business Growth. But is this always the case?
If you are a sole trader, micro business or lower end SME, then you will know the pressures on your time and resources only too well. You end up being the Managing Director, Finance Director, Administrator etc etc, the list goes on - basically you do the lot!
You may have the luxury of having staff in the Business, but then you've got to manage the staff, task the staff, while still doing the sales and marketing, customer meetings, the exhibitions and of course the networking events!
It is not that straight forward to adhere to the advice to "Work ON your Business NOT IN your Business", especially when you ARE the Business!
Yet, over the 25 years I have worked in Business Development and Growth, from Corporate Organisations to pre-start Businesses, I have seen the casualties of NOT adhering to the Advice. I have seen what happens to great Businesses FULL of Potential when the driving force gets caught up in the day to day working IN the Business and loses focus on Where the Business needs to GO and they don't work ON the Business.
So what can Make A Difference for busy people, being all things IN the Business and how can they work ON the Business effectively?
There are 3 keys to solving this issue:
1. DECIDE to take time OUT of your Business! YOU need to make a conscious decision in YOUR Mind that you WILL take some time OUT of the Business EACH week to look at where your Business is AT and where your Business NEEDS to GO. ONLY YOU can make this decision and stick to it, so, the buck starts AND stops with YOU!
2. INVEST in half day events that will give you access to the Knowledge, Information and Connections you require to help you to GROW your Business. Time is precious, so start by committing Half a Day OUT of the Business to give yourself the time to work ON the Business. You WILL have to invest some money in this as you DO NOT get anything credible in life TOTALLY FREE. And watch out for FREE events, usually they turn out to be gatherings where you get SOLD TO, or you get PREACHED AT, neither of which will help your Business and certainly will NOT Build you as a person.
3. DEVELOP a pattern of continuous learning in life! Always be someone who reads articles, listens to successful people and fills your heart and mind with knowledge that you can apply in life and especially in your Business. As we live our lives we leak! Our education, learning and knowledge diminish unless we constantly REFILL ourselves with new learning and fresh knowledge. Linkedin is a great place to read new information, share articles, knowledge, expertise and through the groups to discuss with peers and learn from each other's experience.
If you follow these top three tips from my life experience and 25 years in Business Growth and Development I KNOW that you have the ability and resources within these tips to GROW Yourself AND GROW your Business!
Develop this as a habit and lifestyle and the combination of these three tips in an acronym will tell of your success because they make up DID - a statement of faith perhaps NOW but with application will become a lifestyle of SUCCESS and ACHIEVEMENT!
If we can help you to MAKE A DIFFERENCE, have a look at our website, www.makeadifference.org.uk and see some of the resources we have on offer that will Help You to Build in Life and Business.
Till then, DECIDE, INVEST and DEVELOP and see you soon amongst The BIG Businesses in life who DID!
If you are a sole trader, micro business or lower end SME, then you will know the pressures on your time and resources only too well. You end up being the Managing Director, Finance Director, Administrator etc etc, the list goes on - basically you do the lot!
You may have the luxury of having staff in the Business, but then you've got to manage the staff, task the staff, while still doing the sales and marketing, customer meetings, the exhibitions and of course the networking events!
It is not that straight forward to adhere to the advice to "Work ON your Business NOT IN your Business", especially when you ARE the Business!
Yet, over the 25 years I have worked in Business Development and Growth, from Corporate Organisations to pre-start Businesses, I have seen the casualties of NOT adhering to the Advice. I have seen what happens to great Businesses FULL of Potential when the driving force gets caught up in the day to day working IN the Business and loses focus on Where the Business needs to GO and they don't work ON the Business.
So what can Make A Difference for busy people, being all things IN the Business and how can they work ON the Business effectively?
There are 3 keys to solving this issue:
1. DECIDE to take time OUT of your Business! YOU need to make a conscious decision in YOUR Mind that you WILL take some time OUT of the Business EACH week to look at where your Business is AT and where your Business NEEDS to GO. ONLY YOU can make this decision and stick to it, so, the buck starts AND stops with YOU!
2. INVEST in half day events that will give you access to the Knowledge, Information and Connections you require to help you to GROW your Business. Time is precious, so start by committing Half a Day OUT of the Business to give yourself the time to work ON the Business. You WILL have to invest some money in this as you DO NOT get anything credible in life TOTALLY FREE. And watch out for FREE events, usually they turn out to be gatherings where you get SOLD TO, or you get PREACHED AT, neither of which will help your Business and certainly will NOT Build you as a person.
3. DEVELOP a pattern of continuous learning in life! Always be someone who reads articles, listens to successful people and fills your heart and mind with knowledge that you can apply in life and especially in your Business. As we live our lives we leak! Our education, learning and knowledge diminish unless we constantly REFILL ourselves with new learning and fresh knowledge. Linkedin is a great place to read new information, share articles, knowledge, expertise and through the groups to discuss with peers and learn from each other's experience.
If you follow these top three tips from my life experience and 25 years in Business Growth and Development I KNOW that you have the ability and resources within these tips to GROW Yourself AND GROW your Business!
Develop this as a habit and lifestyle and the combination of these three tips in an acronym will tell of your success because they make up DID - a statement of faith perhaps NOW but with application will become a lifestyle of SUCCESS and ACHIEVEMENT!
If we can help you to MAKE A DIFFERENCE, have a look at our website, www.makeadifference.org.uk and see some of the resources we have on offer that will Help You to Build in Life and Business.
Till then, DECIDE, INVEST and DEVELOP and see you soon amongst The BIG Businesses in life who DID!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)