The same way Kobe had Phil Jackson, MJ had Dean Smith (and Phil Jackson). Eminem had Dr. Dre and Bow Wow had Jermaine Dupri. I could go on, but the point I’m trying to drive home is we all, in some form or another, will need support and guidance in our quest to accomplish our goals. Likewise, I hope that you will gain a comparable degree of advice, inspiration, and overall help to succeed with your start up business, upon reading this. Everything presented is truly intended for your good and (I feel) could benefit any new, growing business. How it applies to you and your specific industry, however, may vary.
It Takes A Village.
The adage may be cliché but it’s true. In many respects, a brand is no different than a growing child – you must nurture it, care for it, and devote an enormous amount of time to help it mature to self-sufficiency. This is not a one-person task; it will require the help of others, i.e. your village. That said, embrace others and their strengths, positioning your village where they can be most beneficial to themselves and the growth of the brand. Imagine the beauty of a team working together towards a common goal, everyone focusing in on their part (of the whole), no one burnt out from overextending themselves or frustrated from lack of productivity. I’m smiling as we speak.
Prioritize and Plan.
It won’t just happen. You make it happen by way of prioritizing and planning. Planning increases efficiency because you create tasks/checkpoints to achieve, a method that promotes progressive (and purposed) movement as opposed to aimless navigating. An article by Brian Tracy, a counselor in tune with goals and success psychology, backs this theory in asserting that for every minute of planning one saves a minimal of 10 minutes in execution, see here. Planning also establishes structure for you, charting a framework for your day(s). On the contrary, be careful to not over-plan though, flexibility is imperative in offering space for the unexpected.
Now for prioritizing, which is arguably the most important of the two. It is important to consider the value of the task and its return. Does it require immediate attention, or could you tend to it later? To that we say: “First things first.” As the Goethe quote states, which Stephen Covey also highlights in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “The things that matter most should never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” Said differently, plan but do so wisely.
All eyes on me.
Having the attention of your intended audience goes without saying. Nothing (you do) really matters if you don’t. In other words, how well do you fare in terms of your marketing? Any successful business you could name surely invests in effective marketing schemes, e.g. Nike, Apple, and McDonalds. Naturally, their success is dependent on the support of consumers. And consumers do not support things they don’t understand or, more generally, know exist. The same is true for your business. Before you can realistically expect buy-in from the public, they must know who you are and what you are about. Market yourself.
It takes time.
There are other messages I could propose, but I want to close with this one because it’s something I feel you can’t emphasis enough, particularly at the embryonic stage of the brand. Develop some thick skin and anticipate some struggle, girding yourself in a way that you are not conquered. None of this – growth, successful promoting, revenue, following, whatever you can fathom – happens overnight. Truthfully, for some goals, the pursuit will be continuous. Regardless, stay encouraged. Be relentlessly tenacious.
There are many sources that provide statistics surrounding challenges of new business; I provide one here. The stat I want to highlight is 50% of startups fail within the first four years. This and other figures could be disheartening…when considered in such a way. But let’s change the perspective to 50% of startups flourish within the first four years – glass half full vs. half empty. In so doing, we (now) view it as obtainable and not impossible. No matter how you slice it, it will take time – steadfast work. Nevertheless, I hope you would agree with me when I say the work is warranted as the cause is more than worthy.
These lessons can help you succeed with your start up business.
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