Creating a successful business takes an unwavering, ongoing and diligent commitment. Having realistic expectations, great staff, enjoyable company culture, the willingness to take action, and keeping the bigger picture in mind, is just the beginning of what I believe are the keys to a brighter future.
Expectations
Have accurate expectations of what it takes to run a successful business. To do what needs to be done, you may have to give up Saturdays or even work a seven-day week. Creating a successful business isn’t a nine to five game, in most cases it is 24/7. If you’ve just started your business with the expectation of having plenty of downtime, and you are inundated with a never-ending list of things to do, frustration can set in when the time to relax doesn’t come about. Plan ahead for your time off, and when you do get time to rest, you will enjoy it more than ever. Let the people around you know where you are at, and ensure they understand what your priorities are, and why you are working so hard.
Staff and culture
To take your business to the next level, you’ve got to get the right staff on the bus and then figure out which seat is best for them. It is important to identify each staff member’s talents and ensure they are focusing on tasks that utilise their strengths. Place each piece of the puzzle in the right place. The people that work for you should be better at doing their job than you can.
The cohesion of your team is what creates the culture of your business. Considering your staff spend majority of their week at the office, it needs to feel good to be there. You want your staff to want to come to work and to be happy to be in their roll. This will make work a nice place for you to be too. You want the playground that you are setting up to be enjoyable.
Take action
People can spend too much time twiddling their thumbs and not taking enough action. If you think of something that needs to be done, do it. Don’t just write it down and think about it, take action. Trial new things, review and refine what is underway. Always look at what is working, keep moving forward and give up what is not supporting your business.
The bigger picture
Every morning when you wake up, remember your plan. Remember that you are hustling now so that in seven to ten years you can work two days a week and have an amazing team who are running your business for you. Keeping the bigger picture in mind can keep you focused when negative news and challenges turn up.
Continuously remind yourself what you are working for and be clear about that. Your success is not measured by sales you make or how much space you sell in a magazine, it is measured by your happiness. Are you happy with the service you are providing for your clients? Do you enjoy the people that you work with? Are you happy with the business that you are building?
The amount of effort you invest into each aspect of your business will govern your overall success. Keeping your expectations in check, having the right team to support your vision, taking action, and keeping the future in mind, will assist you on your way to building a brighter future for yourself and for your business.
As your business grows the team at Austbrokers Terrace are here to answer all your questions about your insurance needs. Give tham a call.
