10 TIPS TO A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

1. Keep the big vision in sight.
A big vision will take you far. I put this
tip first because when things go wrong
on the path to your success, and they
will, keeping the big vision in mind
will enable you to steer your way back
to a successful course. It may not
always be the course you imagined,
but your big vision becomes your
north star, which in turn helps you
navigate and orient yourself through
the darkness. I believe in this so much,
I even co-wrote a book on the
subject with my brother. Your vision is
your foundation, compass and celestial
beacon, lighting the way forward.
2. Fuel your vision with perseverance.
What should go hand-in-hand with a
big vision is the perseverance you’ll
need to keep moving forward. If
you’re a Game of Thrones watcher,
there was a great line in a recent
episode when Stannis Baratheon was
being advised about the lack of
wisdom in starting a battle in the
snow. He responded: “We march to
victory or we march to defeat, but we
go forward, only forward.”
Sometimes, when things get
challenging on your path as an
entrepreneur, you have to commit
yourself to moving forward, regardless
of the discomfort and fear
surrounding the next steps. When you
fuel your big vision with perseverance
and the spirit of “only forward,” you
eventually meet your success.
3. Make a plan, but be flexible.
You need a few sets of plans, even if
each is only a few pages. A business
plan, with an accompanying
marketing outline, are important
blueprints for success. They help you
map out the major landmarks of the
road ahead, define your success and
break the journey into important
metrics you can track your progress
against.
I’m not one for a giant, robust plan
nobody will access, but I do advocate a
more modest go-to plan that can act as
your basic instruction manual and
hold you accountable to specific
numbers. The reason I don’t support
highly detailed plans is that I believe
you need the flexibility to alter the
course as necessary. Sometimes, large
changes to the plan will be necessary.
Related: How to Establish a Vision
Statement Employees Will Get Behind
4. Embrace your expertise.
If you’re already innately good at
something, or have a skillset, embrace
it. Don’t try to be all things for all
aspects of your business. Hire out or
sign contracts with agencies for the
things you can’t do, and focus on your
strengths as quickly and often as
possible. Don’t be a jack-of-all-trades
and a master of none.
5. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
What is already working in other
people’s business models, in your
industry, in software applications and
other business operations that you can
emulate instead of re-create? Don’t
waste your time trying to set up
systems when you can simply purchase
and install one, saving precious time
and spending little money. I always
keep my burn rate in mind and run as
lean as possible. But sometimes the
best decision is to take on the expense
of some good systems so you don’t
have to waste time and make mistakes
building your own.
6. Don’t burn out.
This isn’t just a stale piece of advice:
Your health is literally the most
important thing in your life. When
your body gives out, you’re done. Your
heart doesn’t care how good a business
you have; your circulatory system isn’t
all that impressed with your money or
accomplishments. . . you get the point.
Personally, I try to eat really good
food, get good sleep and take as much
time as I can manage day by day to
laugh with my kids and see my wife.
You will burn out if you sacrifice your
physical and mental health on the
altar of your business. So, take care of
yourself.
7. Leverage everything.
Life hacks may seem like just viral
fodder on the internet, but they
can teach an important mini-lesson in
leverage. When you use leverage to
your advantage in every aspect of your
life, you go further, faster. Leverage
outsourced help to streamline tasks
and gain traffic time for important
phone calls. Leverage down time
waiting anywhere (the doctor’s office,
your kid’s school, your mechanic’s
waiting room, your airline flight) to
get stuff done.
8. Keep your sense of humor.
If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re
missing out. I was almost asleep the
other night when I thought of a funny
event that had happened earlier that
day, and I suddenly found myself
erupting with laughter so loud I woke
the dog.
Laughing is a good cure to diffuse
stress, infuse some lightheartedness
into life and get some perspective on
the fact that, hey, this is only life after
all -- you don’t have to take it so
seriously.
So, try to laugh more and stress a little
less. It strengthens your emotional and
mental well-being, keeps other people
from getting under your skin
and keeps you cool and collected, plus
a lot more fun to be around.