What Must Small Businesses Do To Be Successful in This Marketplace?
A small business owner must be quick and nimble enough to see opportunities and take advantage of them. Owners must react to an opening in the line as fast as a good football back does as he makes his split second cut and bursts into the second level or beyond.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead to where there is no path and leave a trail.” The money is being made today by marketing what is new and different, not what was sold, or the ways they were sold, in the past.
After I posted the Emerson quote on both my LinkedIn profile and Facebook homepage, I came across this video. In it Dr. Ralph Wilson of Wilson Webmarketing Today interviews author and consultant Bryan Eisenberg. The #1 Secret of Successful Businesses with Bryan Eisenberg
At the very beginning Eisenberg shares his conclusion that the success secret for small businesses is getting things done. They should be able to make quick decisions, take quick action steps and respond according to rising opportunities.
M: If they do, I believe small business owners can succeed more often than they fail.
Bryan quoted Roy Williams who said: “Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong!”
M: I believe the message here to small business owners is do something in this competitive marketplace; it’s better than doing nothing. You can go back and correct it later in most cases.
Small businesses have a big advantage over large corporations. They should be able to act more quickly considering they are not held back by tiers of management and corporate politics. Act now, correct mistakes later.
However, a lot of business owners are so caught up in maintaining the everyday ‘stuff” they have not time to plan for the future. By failing to do so, they do not correct the past mistakes.
M: When times were good and business was easy, mostly none of us planned for the downturn. But the old sales adage is to sell when selling is good. The adrenalin is pumping and you are on top of your game.
Later in the video Bryan talks about a favorite phrase of mine – Paralysis by Analysis. When you are overwhelmed by the information and fail to move for fear, nothing happens.
M: Try to avoid this failing. Do not be afraid to dive into the deep end of the pool and tread water for a while.
Wayne Gretsky’s familiar quote also applies: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
As always, your comments are welcome and accepted.
