How To Survive In Business
Have you ever wondered how some people thrive when starting their own business and others seem to struggle endlessly to then only give up.
When starting out there is so much to plan and figure out. It certainly requires fresh attitude and bringing key elements above your blood, sweat and heartfelt intentions for success. While some naturally have the talents and skills essential to flourish, you can also learn along the way so don’t be discouraged easily.
8 Things You Must Do To Survive In Business
1. Your attitude is everything
People are more in touch today with energy and ‘vibes’ of those around them, so it is important to bring yourself from a genuine place.
The reality of business – things change and may not go to plan. Having a solutions driven attitude and identifying what doesn’t work is crucial to succeed. There is no time for dwelling on the past, learn from it and move on to brighter opportunities.
Most of all believe in yourself and take action, mindset alone will not win results – align it with execution and the right activity.
2. Do Your Market Research
Market Research is powerful and often missed when starting out or creating a new product or service. If your offers are not quite winning customers this could be one reason as to why things are not working out as planned – you haven’t understood what your ideal clients really want or are willing to pay.
Research into your market will also help to talk their language when attracting ideal clients, knowing how your customers are feeling, their experiences and what they are willing to invest will make it easier for them to find you and sell.
3. Get Clear on Your Direction
If you are in a place of overwhelm, its no doubt with the amount of information available online.
I’ve had moments of staring into my computer frozen with overload. I just wasn’t sure what to do next, and most of the time it was because I had no tasks, list or outcome I wanted to achieve.
Once you get clear on what you want to achieve, break it down in chunks so you can focus on smaller tasks. This will help alleviate the overwhelm and also build momentum.
4. Balance and Schedule
The most challenging part of starting out in the B game was balancing my business aspirations, family and social activities.
We get into business because we want more flexibility and freedom to living the ‘dream’ lifestyle – and we find ourselves working longer hours and missing out in the important things and people.
Planning a weekly or monthly schedule can help avoid burn outs, conflicts in your relationships and most of all live a truly happy and balanced life.
No day or week may be the same, so take it week by week or have some clear days blocked for specific tasks or projects. Here are areas you may consider when scheduling your weekly or monthly rituals:
Meditation
Kids play hour
Networking/Business Events once a week or month
Video or podcast productions
Writing
Date night
You time
If you require two or three nights a week to do more as you have deadlines, make sure you communicate this to the important people in your life so they can get on board to support your goals.
I know with young children scheduling time can be tricky, there is no rule you have to work 8 hours in a block during the day – spreading the time to suit your needs is the aim of the game, so make it work for you. Being consistent will help you achieve the results you need.
5. Let Go of the Weak
Do you spend time doing things in your business that you are not really that good at or don’t know much about? I mean you research the subject, do some training – weeks have gone by, then you finally realize it’s just a little too complex.
If you look closely at the situation you are using this as an excuse and probably the reason as to why you haven’t progressed as far as you have hoped.
It’s important to focus on your strengths when it relates to income producing activities. This is smart business, and something you should understand sooner rather than later.
If you are not crafty at something be honest with yourself. Yes, it is helpful to know ‘everything’, but is it really essential?
Check out upwork.com and set yourself a budget to hire experts when you need them.
6. Look at Your Budget
One of the biggest boo boo’s business owners can make is not allocating a survival budget when first kicking off and maintaining a cash buffer.
Beside’s having a cash kitty for expenses and living, knowing how much you are allocating to tools such as websites, CRM and marketing is key. Before you know it your costs can add up quickly each month blowing your budget.
Some tools may be essential, however you do not need the whiz bang premium package straight up. There is a lot of technology available so make sure you are extracting value from your investments.
7. Marketing
The first thing I learnt in my corporate career in sales and marketing – is ‘activity, activity, activity’. It is also paramount that you are working on the right activity that adds value to your potential and existing clients and dollars to your bottom line.
Marketing is about promoting and selling, and it wholly encompasses building relationships and understanding what your clients want.
Whether you choose to market online or via a partner network, it is really important to stay active and be present. Create a schedule such as an editorial calendar to drive engagement and continuously build your list.
8. Like-Minded Network
Do you love being around people who are driven, passionate and understand what it takes to build and grow a business?
A genuine network of entrepreneurs who have different skill sets and experiences can help you go from strength to strength. It can also be a safe environment to share your vulnerabilities so you can combat any struggles you have, and where you can also help others.
Facebook and LinkedIn have numerous groups for business and personal development, you need to find ones that fit your culture and needs. Check out B Sessions, for bold, badass and brilliant entrepreneurial minds.
What’s your best piece of advice when starting up in business? Leave your comments below.
To an awesome week!
Jaime-Lee