Get Clear on What You Want
You’d be right in thinking that the obvious first step for anyone starting a business, is to sit down and get really clear on what they want and why they want it.
What’s interesting though is how little time many business owners actually give to this before opening their doors to customers.
Building from a solid foundation
For a business to be successful, the entire foundation needs to be built on a rock solid ‘what’ and ‘why’.
By this I mean being super clear on what your business does, what you want to achieve year on year, what makes you different, and so on. And then there’s your ‘why’. This needs to be personal and so compelling that when challenging times come up – and they will – it keeps driving you forward.
Let’s take a look at these pieces in a little more detail.
What matters to you really matters
The most profitable small businesses all have one thing in common: the owners’ personal objectives match their business strategy.
When your personal objectives are clear and aligned through every part of your business, it’s so much easier to bring others onboard with your vision so your business to grow.
Some common reasons people have for starting a business are:
- Providing for their family
- Being their own boss
- Making money
- Having flexibility
- Building equity
While these are certainly great reasons, they only scratch the surface. What you need to find are reasons that are so in line with who you are and matter so much that you can’t help but want to act on them.
Whether you’re just starting out or your business is more established, if you’re not sure what really matters to you then it’s time to get clear.
Clarity is king
Let’s start with a few sliding scale questions to get you thinking about what you want. So, on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very important), how important are the following to you?
- Getting new customers
- Having a written strategic plan
- Improving quality and service
- Reducing your costs
- Having a detailed budget
- Funding your retirement
- Protecting your family against your death or disability
- Building your personal wealth
Your answers to questions like these will show you what your personal objectives are. Your next step is to prioritise them and set actions for business improvement.
No matter where you are in your journey, there’s always tremendous value in dedicating time to making sure that you and your people are clear on the things that really matter in your business and why.
To learn more and access additional questions like the ones above, click here and receive a copy of our free eBook ‘Top Tips & Ideas for Business Growth’.
