The Power Of Re-Defining Your Business: Breaking the Boundaries That Bind You
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Article Overview: Who are you? What business are you ***REALLY*** in? This is THE single most fundamental question you could ask if you seriously want to take your business to the next level. How you answer this one question could drive your entire business destiny and outcomes. Read this article and find out how top businesses answer this question
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The Power Of Re-Defining Your Business: Breaking the Boundaries That Bind You
Who are you? What business are you ***REALLY*** in? This is THE single most fundamental question you could ask if you seriously want to take your business to the next level.
Too many businesses define themselves narrowly by what they do (e.g., consultant, restaurant, dentist) rather than by what they know (core competencies) and by what they “own” (strategic assets).
For example, Disney does NOT define their business as “theme parks” (as most people might think), but rather as “three dimensional entertainment.”
Do you see the major difference between these two business definitions!!? The first is highly restrictive, while the second is expansive and opens many new doors in terms of profit-generating opportunities.
That is why Disney’s success is everywhere!! Theme cruise ships, Broadway shows, mini-parks, retail stores and a host of other business ventures.
Let’s look at another example ... one you know very well. MacDonalds.
What business do you think they are in? Big Macs? Nope.
The hamburger business?? Not even close. (They would never survive if they defined themselves as a hamburger business!!! Ugh!!)
Give up?? MacDonalds is in the business of ---- real estate ---- (they are experts in picking the best locations) and ---- operational systems ---- (experts at highly perfected franchise systems).
So how does all this relate to your business? Alot!!!!
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Just like we only use about 10% of our brain power, business owners only use 10% of their business power.
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As a business owner, you always bring alot more to the table - in terms of core strengths, resources, tangible and intangible assets - than are ever being tapped and utilized in your business.
If you are defining your business by your roles, activities or services/products, you are currently under performing and seriously restricting your business’ profit potential.
Re-define your business not by what you do, but by what core strengths and assets are. When you do, you will - guaranteed - break the business boundaries that bind you.
=>> COACH'S RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Take 30-60 minutes during the next week and seriously assess your core competencies and assets. Ask at least 5 business associates what they see as your 3 greatest strengths and assets. How can you expand the scope and the profitability of your business, by integrating more of your competencies and assets into your business focus?
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Related Forum Posts
Women Entrepreneur Tips
- Thank you LeoOliveros,
I found #4 particularly true in my case:
4. The Enterprise Must Include the Power of Power Networks.
As a conductor of your own enterprise, you can not see yourself as a one-woman-show. You must choose to utilize the power people in your life, by asking for help when you need it, and effectively delegating in order to capitalize on your strengths and that of your power network. When certain experts are not represented in your power network, you must actively seek advisors or mentors and develop a team of specialists, so the benefits are received by everyone involved in the power network - the true Power of Power Networks.
Learning from other people's mistakes (Books)
- Most business books are written by people who tell of success stories, and how they were achieved. I'm wondering if people learn more by reading about the stories of failure?
Or about how people achieved success...and then frittered it away through bad business practice.
I checked two books out of the library yesterday.
Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders, by Jim Carlton
(started as a startup in 1976, sales peaked in 1995, and even then they were a "troubled" company, and now they've only got a 3% market share. (And I must admit I used to love Macs, but don't anymore...)
and
Breaking Windows: How Bill Gates Fumbled the Future of Microsoft, by David Bank.
"Breaking Windows" tells the story of the battle for the soul of Microsoft that raged inside the company from 1997 to 2000 and continues to reverbrate today." The book "breaks new ground in its analysis of Microsoft's past and future business strategies. As Microsoft faces the waning importance of Windows, rallies behind XML, and confronts the open-source insurgency, the past Bank reveals is vital to understanding the future of this company and the still unfinished digital revolution it helped unleash.
My entry
- 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read
- this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody.
2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto.
3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book
Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
The Power of Ten
- Do you want to save money and time? Make the most of your marketing efforts? The Power of Ten™ is about taking the concepts of repurposing and leveraging “to the max”. It allows you to innovate and discover new possibilities for any marketing you already have in place. Here’s how it works:
Make a list of the most recent 10 marketing items you’ve created or paid to have created. If you don’t have any materials, you can simply list the pieces you plan on creating.
Now pick one. It could be an article, ad, poster, anything you have used recently as a marketing tool. Take a fresh look at it. Brainstorm and free write until you find at least 10 different ways to use that piece. You can do this with as many pieces as you want, but for now start with just one.
It’s amazing how much time, effort and money you can save using The Power of Ten™.
Below is an example using The Power of Ten™ with this very article. Even a very short piece, such as this, can benefit from The Power of Ten™. Here are some ways I can use this tip:
1) It’s part of a new marketing program I’m creating that may be called Marketing Full Circle.
2) It’s on my blog.
3) I can tweet it (knowing that it will show up on LinkedIn and many other sites which display tweets).
4) I can go over to LinkedIn and post it to a group.
5) I can it to my ezine subscribers.
6) I will send it to my clients.
7) If it is a longer article, I can try submitting it to an Article Bank, or two, or three.
It started out as part of an answer on Focus.com
9) Eventually it will be part of an eBook on marketing tips.
10) I mention the concept often at speaking engagements.
(c)2010 Elevating Your Business
What would you add to the list? How about your own? Give it a try and comment below.
Re: Balancing Your Man & Business
- One issue is the same women face with little kids, if they run home based businesses.
If you work out of your home, your man, or your kids, think you don't really work, and its okay to interrupt because it's "only them."
But it actually is a major distraction to try to be doing some creative work and having your family coming at you all the time.
Boundaries for home workers need to be set, and no guilting them out of it!
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