Tweet

3 Ways to Ruin Your Business

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Everyone is looking for the magic keys to success; ways to improve, bust through, and win. Yet, we all know that the best lessons in life come from times we messed up, came in last, or flunked the big test. Think about it: did you learn more from the days you sat by the swimming pool sipping mojitos or when you fell off the bike halfway through the triathlon? Everyone has tales to tell of what they learned from missteps. Take a minute and think about the worst decisions you have made to date in your company. Are they stories you tell anyone or do they sit in the dark corners or your mind, embarrassments you don't want anyone to know.

3 Ways to Ruin Your Business

Everyone is looking for the magic keys to success; ways to improve, bust through, and win.

Yet, we all know that the best lessons in life come from times we messed up, came in last, or flunked the big test. Think about it: did you learn more from the days you sat by the swimming pool sipping mojitos or when you fell off the bike halfway through the triathlon?

Everyone has tales to tell of what they learned from missteps. Take a minute and think about the worst decisions you have made to date in your company. Are they stories you tell anyone or do they sit in the dark corners or your mind, embarrassments you don't want anyone to know.

In talking with entrepreneurs I have seen many of the same stories repeated over and over about what has caused the worse problems, what led to the misery of defeat. Almost always they are about relationships gone sour.

Here are the top three to consider;

1. Hire your best friend: just because you have happy memories about soccer games and summer camp does not mean you will do dwell working together. Entrepreneurs have an amazing ability to trust friendship as a way of recruiting. It rarely works, and even worse it often takes a tollto thepoint of ending what was once a special relationship.

2.Stay out of workplace conflict:whether you have one or tons of employees you cannot ignore day to day conflict and office politics. in fact, you may well be at the center of the conflict whether you want to be there or not. As the leader you are also seen as "dad" or "mom". There is no way out of this. Ignore the back biting, the sour remarks, and soon the ship will fill the water and sink no matter how great your product is.

3. Ignore succession planning: most entrepreneurs have an immortality perspective. Like teenagers who just know they can drive super fast and never have an accident until bang-crash, there are rarely plans in place to replace. No, you don't have to have a massive heart attack to begin to grow the next generation of leaders, in fact, unless you do that starting now,, your business will flounder even when you have the flu.

In "Don't Bring It to Work" you can also check out the most common behavior patterns that limit success and see which ones scream out your name. Then you can decide if you want to change them or would you rather just have great stories to tell your grandchildren about the "glory" of defeat!

Related Articles
  Work At Home Internet Business - Top Reasons For Failing
  LEADERS NEVER EFFORT TO LOSE IT……
  The Meaning of Confidence
  Right Salespeople in the Right Roles and the Right Seats
  How to Screw Yourself Up on Social Networking in No Time Flat
  Reminders Put Your Keys in Your Fridge
  Are we allowing social media to ruin our real relationships?
  10 Ways Easy for Managers to Empower
  If Being Indecisive in Your Business is Holding You Back, Here’s How to Change It.
  How Layout Affects Productivity
  How the Mighty Fall
  Creating A Successful Internet Marketing Business
  Mall Cop - The Sales Example
  Harness the Power of ‘Free’ Marketing
  Business Lesson from a Farmer
  Tips for selling in hyper competitive markets
  Senior Management and Critical Information
  Are You Telling Another Story?
  Clear Expectations Lead to Great Partnerships
  Loans for Small Business

Article Tags: Behavior Patterns, Sucession Planning, Workplace Conflict



Related Forum Posts
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.
Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: Ideas For Business - Stas and lucy, Could you guys give us a recap of your entire business idea as it stands now. Seems like it morped a bit. Let us know: 1. Start date 2. Ways you will Market 3. What you will offer 4. How much will your charge for your offer
Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company - [quote="zohahunt77":428owzbi]Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between B2B and B2C. I don’t know about b2b marketing but I have done marketing so know things about it. I will suggest you to take online services which will spread your business all over web network. Online marketing is the best way to market any business.[/quote:428owzbi] B2B = Business to Business - You are marketing to other businesses. B2C = Business to Consumer - You are marketing to consumers.
English teachers learn Japanese as Interns - Yasunori, what about the many students that leave N. America to teach English in Japan. They may want to learn Japanese (maybe Business Japanese is a bit different) and the Japanese Business Culture.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

African Technology Development

Selling What Sizzles vs. Delivering Real Value

How to Set Sales Goals that Work

Suggestions

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.