Your small business strategy, whether you are a small business startup or an already established, is critical to your success.
What is a strategy? It is putting together a careful plan or method to achieve a goal or a number of goals.
Very often people will ask me for small business tips. Quite often what they are asking for is a strategy on how to accomplish a business goal. And, within a strategy they may want to know what tactics to employ.
For example, if your goal is to increase sales, a tactic may be to advertise in a magazine. Another may be to deliver a better customer experience.
A strategy helps you achieve your goals. It brings clarity as to how you will accomplish your goals. Tactics show ways to implement the strategy.
When you decide to visit a place your strategy to get there may be to fly. You could go by car. You could go by train. But you have decided to fly. You have your strategy but what about tactics?
Let me ask you a question. Do you feel more confident if you have a regular ticket for your flight? Or do you feel better if you have a ticket for flying stand by?
Most people would answer that they feel much more relaxed and confident if they have a regular ticket. They know they are going to have a seat for the flight.
Yet, many business owners implement their strategy as if they were on a stand by ticket. Much as a passenger needs a regular ticket to fly, the small business owner needs to purchase a regular ticket for his business to fly.
That purchase of a regular ticket represents “commitment.“ The stand by passenger or owner comes to the airport hoping to get a flight. He has “involvement” with the idea of flying. But he is not committed to fly. He will only fly if circumstances and things fall into place.
As a small business owner, whether you are a small business startup or running an existing business, you must be aware of the devastating consequences of not knowing the difference between “involvement” and “commitment.”
You must purchase a regular ticket to be committed to flying to your destination on time. And, you must make that same commitment to your business.
Let’s go back to the stand by scenario. The stand by passenger is willing to let circumstances and things dictate his future. He is willing to risk wasting time and energy. Is he really committed to taking the flight and arriving on time? No.
To be a successful small business owner you must be committed to having your business fly and fly on time. Do you have a schedule? Do you meet your obligations to your business and yourself in a timely manner?
Is your promotion done consistently? Are you focused on delivering an exceptional product or service backed by outstanding customer service? A successful small business strategy has all of these and more.
If you have commitment you will show it by purchasing your flight ticket to business success. For the business owner who is only involved, he hopes these things will happen if the circumstances are right. He could wait forever to fly to his destination.
Think about this. Whether you have a small business startup or an existing business you are experiencing a majority of the time one of the following. Either you run the day or the day runs you. Either you run your business or your business runs you.
Have commitment to your business and you will run it. Be involved with your business and it will run you. Business success is always about recognizing the difference between “involvement” and “commitment” and supporting your commitment with action.
What have been your experiences with involvement and commitment? What were the results?
