Nine Tips for a More Successful Business
Nine Tips for a More Successful Business
Small business owners are not always the most qualified to run their business. They are often very good at performing the service they provide but they might not be skilled at administration, marketing, sales, or the myriad of other tasks required. So here are nine tips to help small business owners manage their businesses more effectively.
1. Have a plan. Start with goals, break those goals down into smaller objectives, and then break those objectives down into manageable tasks. Then perform each task with excellence. Revisit your objectives and goals often so that you can make sure you’re on track, and make course adjustments when necessary.
2. Have a contingency plan. Think about the various things that can happen. In some situations, there might be a "business as usual" plan and a "worst case scenario" plan. In other situations, there could be three or four (or more) potential outcomes. Make sure you know what could happen and plan for it.
3. Outsource. This is huge. You can’t do it all. You can delegate some, but chances are, you won’t be able to delegate all of it. Outsourcing is often a more affordable alternative because you don’t have to cover overhead and benefits and you only need to pay for the time you need. More businesses need to do more of this and when they do, they’ll see more profit.
4. Know your business. A good manager once told me, “You should never be surprised by what goes on in your department”. That was good advice and I took it to heart. Now that I run my own businesses, it’s even more important to know the business well.
5. Don’t work 24/7. It can be tempting to work around the clock, especially if you’re a small business owner with few or no employees. But taking periodic breaks, and forced downtime on the weekends, will actually make you more productive when you are working. Sure, you might occasionally need to burn the candle at both ends, but keep it rare and you’ll be surprised at your productivity.
6. Don’t be afraid to tell a client "no". Clients ask for things. It’s easy to say "yes", especially when we want the business. But clients can sometimes ask for too much. It’s rarely malicious. They either don’t understand what you do and don’t do, or they’re just watching their bottom line and trying to get a good deal. Consider the long term consequences of delivering on their request and be willing to say "no" if it makes sense.
7. Manage risk, manage risk, manage risk. Businesses are a delicate balance between risk and reward and you sometimes have to risk a little more to leverage your way into more business. But manage that risk as much as possible. Remember: if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instincts because you’ll be surprised at how accurate they are.
8. Be creative. The longer a business operates, and the larger it gets, the less creative a business becomes. It’s as if someone just sucks out all the creativity and replaces it with bureaucracy. Creativity is a powerful force in business and can open up new opportunities. Just remember: creativity only happens in the midst of failures. (Think: Edison and his hundreds of attempts at light bulbs).
9. Dust off that business plan and revisit it. If it seems irrelevant, you’re not pulling it off the shelf often enough and you’re letting the business lead you where it wants to go. Take control and work with the plan. If the plan is outdated, update it.
Nine Tips for a More Successful Business - To learn more about this author, visit 's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Nine Tips for a More Successful Business
Small business owners are not always the most qualified to run their business. They are often very good at performing the service they provide but they might not be skilled at administration, marketing, sales, or the myriad of other tasks required. So here are nine tips to help small business owners manage their businesses more effectively.
1. Have a plan. Start with goals, break those goals down into smaller objectives, and then break those objectives down into manageable tasks. Then perform each task with excellence. Revisit your objectives and goals often so that you can make sure you’re on track, and make course adjustments when necessary.
2. Have a contingency plan. Think about the various things that can happen. In some situations, there might be a "business as usual" plan and a "worst case scenario" plan. In other situations, there could be three or four (or more) potential outcomes. Make sure you know what could happen and plan for it.
3. Outsource. This is huge. You can’t do it all. You can delegate some, but chances are, you won’t be able to delegate all of it. Outsourcing is often a more affordable alternative because you don’t have to cover overhead and benefits and you only need to pay for the time you need. More businesses need to do more of this and when they do, they’ll see more profit.
4. Know your business. A good manager once told me, “You should never be surprised by what goes on in your department”. That was good advice and I took it to heart. Now that I run my own businesses, it’s even more important to know the business well.
5. Don’t work 24/7. It can be tempting to work around the clock, especially if you’re a small business owner with few or no employees. But taking periodic breaks, and forced downtime on the weekends, will actually make you more productive when you are working. Sure, you might occasionally need to burn the candle at both ends, but keep it rare and you’ll be surprised at your productivity.
6. Don’t be afraid to tell a client "no". Clients ask for things. It’s easy to say "yes", especially when we want the business. But clients can sometimes ask for too much. It’s rarely malicious. They either don’t understand what you do and don’t do, or they’re just watching their bottom line and trying to get a good deal. Consider the long term consequences of delivering on their request and be willing to say "no" if it makes sense.
7. Manage risk, manage risk, manage risk. Businesses are a delicate balance between risk and reward and you sometimes have to risk a little more to leverage your way into more business. But manage that risk as much as possible. Remember: if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instincts because you’ll be surprised at how accurate they are.
8. Be creative. The longer a business operates, and the larger it gets, the less creative a business becomes. It’s as if someone just sucks out all the creativity and replaces it with bureaucracy. Creativity is a powerful force in business and can open up new opportunities. Just remember: creativity only happens in the midst of failures. (Think: Edison and his hundreds of attempts at light bulbs).
9. Dust off that business plan and revisit it. If it seems irrelevant, you’re not pulling it off the shelf often enough and you’re letting the business lead you where it wants to go. Take control and work with the plan. If the plan is outdated, update it.
Nine Tips for a More Successful Business - To learn more about this author, visit 's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
|||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to 's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Feed your body, gain a life Goal Setting Definitions of Success Business Financing Serenity Cards |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 SEO Posts - 2007
Top SEO Posts of the Year | |
 |
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||