The three biggest barriers to small business success, and what you can do to break through.
The three biggest barriers to small business success, and what you can do to break through.
Unfortunately, there are many external reasons why people fail. But the good news is that most can be simply remedied through external solutions. For instance, if your business lacks cash then you may need to seek creative financing methods.
Or if lack of time is holding you back, then perhaps a few time-management courses are in order, or maybe it will take hiring an assistant. The first step in breaking down external barriers is identifying them. Then you can craft solutions that work best for you. Once you remove those external barriers, success is simply a matter of time and perseverance.
On the other hand, internal barriers are a little more difficult to identify and to overcome – which is why it’s the topic of our discussion today.
I have found that the biggest barriers to success are the internal ones we place on ourselves that we dredge up from the deep, shadowy recesses of our minds. In particular, these three are especially nasty:
Barrier #1: Fear
Hands-down, fear is the biggest barrier to small business success. Fear has kept countless millions of people from achieving their dreams - cowering in the corner afraid to venture outside the safe. Some of these people fear failure; others fear success. Some fear change, some fear sameness. There are as many fears as there are people. But one thing is for certain, all fears can be paralyzing if we allow hem to get a foothold in our thoughts and actions.
The best way to overcome fear is through cultivating courage.
- Start being deliberately courageous in the decisions you make regarding growth, risk, and day-to-day operations. The more you practice courage the more courageous you will become.
- Resolve to never again “take the easy road.” Have a clear understanding of your beliefs and core values, so when situations come up, you know where you stand.
- Accept personal responsibility for the decisions you make, and encourage those around you to do the same.
- Make sure the people you hire and promote are also courageous people. Surround yourself with fearless people you’ll discover what a powerhouse organization you can become.
Courage can conquer fear and help speed us on our way to small business success.
Barrier #2: Lack of Vision
Unfortunately, many small businesses are so focused on the day-to-day business of keeping the doors open that they neglect this incredibly important aspect.
Vision.
Vision is what defines who you are as a company, your core values, and your future aspirations. It truly is your “reason for being.”
Additionally, having a clear, strong vision motivates, inspires, and empowers your employees. A vision that starts at the top and threads through the organization is an excellent loyalty and retention tool because employees like being part of a company that knows where it’s going and how to get there. Remember, too, that your employees – more than anyone else – will be the driving forces behind your vision. They will be the ones to bring your vision to fruition.
If you don’t have a vision for your company, it’s time to develop one. After all, if you don’t know where you want to go, how can you expect to get there?
Barrier #3: Lack of Faith
I’ve heard it said by many wise people that you can only achieve that which you believe.
Do you believe you can achieve your dreams of success? Do you really believe it? If not…why not!
If we don’t believe in ourselves and our ability to achieve, then success will always be just beyond our reach. If you don’t have faith in yourself and your dreams, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you?
Truth is, some people lack faith because they are afraid to hope too much, fearing that they will be disappointed. I say don’t just hope…expect! Expect good things to happen! Have faith that you success is imminent!
Let me tell you something: wide-eyed optimism will take you and your company a heck of a lot further than always viewing life through the eyes of Eeyore.
Believe in yourself. Believe you can achieve, and you will.
On your road to success, don’t let barriers – either external or internal - detour you or stand in your way to realizing your dreams and goals. Face them down and get on with it.
The three biggest barriers to small business success and what you can do to break through - To learn more about this author, visit Donna Williams's Website.
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Have you ever wondered why some people achieve small business success while others find themselves sitting on the sidewalk waving flags as the parade passes by?
Unfortunately, there are many external reasons why people fail. But the good news is that most can be simply remedied through external solutions. For instance, if your business lacks cash then you may need to seek creative financing methods.
Or if lack of time is holding you back, then perhaps a few time-management courses are in order, or maybe it will take hiring an assistant. The first step in breaking down external barriers is identifying them. Then you can craft solutions that work best for you. Once you remove those external barriers, success is simply a matter of time and perseverance.
On the other hand, internal barriers are a little more difficult to identify and to overcome – which is why it’s the topic of our discussion today.
I have found that the biggest barriers to success are the internal ones we place on ourselves that we dredge up from the deep, shadowy recesses of our minds. In particular, these three are especially nasty:
Barrier #1: Fear
Hands-down, fear is the biggest barrier to small business success. Fear has kept countless millions of people from achieving their dreams - cowering in the corner afraid to venture outside the safe. Some of these people fear failure; others fear success. Some fear change, some fear sameness. There are as many fears as there are people. But one thing is for certain, all fears can be paralyzing if we allow hem to get a foothold in our thoughts and actions.
The best way to overcome fear is through cultivating courage.
- Start being deliberately courageous in the decisions you make regarding growth, risk, and day-to-day operations. The more you practice courage the more courageous you will become.
- Resolve to never again “take the easy road.” Have a clear understanding of your beliefs and core values, so when situations come up, you know where you stand.
- Accept personal responsibility for the decisions you make, and encourage those around you to do the same.
- Make sure the people you hire and promote are also courageous people. Surround yourself with fearless people you’ll discover what a powerhouse organization you can become.
Courage can conquer fear and help speed us on our way to small business success.
Barrier #2: Lack of Vision
Unfortunately, many small businesses are so focused on the day-to-day business of keeping the doors open that they neglect this incredibly important aspect.
Vision.
Vision is what defines who you are as a company, your core values, and your future aspirations. It truly is your “reason for being.”
Additionally, having a clear, strong vision motivates, inspires, and empowers your employees. A vision that starts at the top and threads through the organization is an excellent loyalty and retention tool because employees like being part of a company that knows where it’s going and how to get there. Remember, too, that your employees – more than anyone else – will be the driving forces behind your vision. They will be the ones to bring your vision to fruition.
If you don’t have a vision for your company, it’s time to develop one. After all, if you don’t know where you want to go, how can you expect to get there?
Barrier #3: Lack of Faith
I’ve heard it said by many wise people that you can only achieve that which you believe.
Do you believe you can achieve your dreams of success? Do you really believe it? If not…why not!
If we don’t believe in ourselves and our ability to achieve, then success will always be just beyond our reach. If you don’t have faith in yourself and your dreams, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you?
Truth is, some people lack faith because they are afraid to hope too much, fearing that they will be disappointed. I say don’t just hope…expect! Expect good things to happen! Have faith that you success is imminent!
Let me tell you something: wide-eyed optimism will take you and your company a heck of a lot further than always viewing life through the eyes of Eeyore.
Believe in yourself. Believe you can achieve, and you will.
On your road to success, don’t let barriers – either external or internal - detour you or stand in your way to realizing your dreams and goals. Face them down and get on with it.
The three biggest barriers to small business success and what you can do to break through - To learn more about this author, visit Donna Williams's Website.
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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 |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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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 |
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