Building Blocks Of A Successful Small Business – Part 1

(Building Blocks #1 - #5)
With Coach Jeff Earlywine

 
Ever wondered why some people are successful in business and some seem to always struggle? I have spent my entire career studying these type people and their organizations, and have found the following to be building blocks that we all need to apply (and reapply).

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Building Block #1: Be Clear About What You Want
 
Follow your passion. One of the key elements to success in life and business is having a passion for what you do. There is no limit to what you can accomplish when you feel passionate about it. Passion is the fuel that gets you out of bed in the morning, helps you endure while performing tasks that you don’t consider enjoyable, and gives you the strength to successfully deal with problems and challenges.
 
To find your passion you might ask yourself the following questions:

• What would I do if I could not fail?

• What would I do if I had all the money in the world?

• What situation (on the evening news or on the internet) touches my heart the most?

• What type person, culture, lifestyle, and/or material item am I drawn to the most?

 

Have a clear idea about what you want to do. How to accomplish your dreams, or you may call them goals? There are three simple but very important steps to take.

• Dream what you want.

• Decide why you want it.

• Determine a plan to get it. This is the step that I feel most people leave out, but perhaps could be the most important of the three.

 

Building Block #2: Find a niche and be the best you can be
 
Booker T. Washington once said, “Do the common things uncommonly well.” John Eldredge in Wild At Heart wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Both of these people give us good advice.
 
Once you find what makes you come alive, and do it uncommonly well, you will discover that you have found your passion and are clear about what you want.
 
Building Block #3: Make a difference
 
It has been said that the only thing that lasts long after you are gone are the relationships that you leave behind. In some respects this is true. However, there is something else that will continue long after you pass from this world to the next. If you look into the history books you will find it littered with people that made a difference. We still feel the impact of their existence today. So… live a life that is worth remembering and writing about. Statues in the town square are always erected in the memory of someone that made a real difference, and most are just common people that did the common things uncommonly well.
 
Building Block #4: Monitor KPIs and Numbers Daily
 
There are many important aspects to running a successful business today. But one practice, if done consistently, will almost guarantee that you will move ahead of your competition.
 
“What is it,” you ask?? The answer is so basic it is often dismissed as not important. It is “Review daily important and vital numbers in your business.” This is a normal practice in all of the worlds largest and best businesses. By looking at your numbers daily you will be able to correct issues quickly before they begin costing you money, reputation, or staff.
 
Building Block #5: Create Systems That Run Your Business
 
Systems run successful businesses, and people run the systems. Systems are the glue that holds everything together and allows you to achieve the dreams you have instead of being a slave to a JOB.
 
What systems are needed in every business?
 

• KPI Analysis – As explained above.

• Marketing – Understanding how you attract your customers, and how to attract even more.

• Time Management – Maximizing your time by working more “on” your business.

• Organization – Without structure you will never be able to build a long-lasting business.

• Staff and Leadership – It has been said before, and it is true, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”