I am often asked by other coaches & business “start-ups” What are my top tips to be successful as a business owner?
Then earlier this week I was approached by a lady who was just starting out on her journey to help others as a life coach. She wanted to know what were my top five tips for a business start up as a life coach. I sent her an email response and thought to myself I get asked these questions a lot, so thought it might be useful if I was to share the email with you here.
It is by no means the definitive top five & they are not in any order of priority. Simply a “brain-dump” of five important ingredients that will help any business to increase their chances of becoming successful. I thought I would share them with you here.
Have a great weekend….
Hi there PXXXX
Thank you for getting in touch.. First of all, congratulations on a great decision… I wish you all the very best with your new venture. Wow! – that is such a huge question… Of course there is a mass of information, tips, experience, methods, strategies I can share. This is usually married up with the individual’s needs, personality and business type. It not really possible to answer such a big question without understanding more about what you want and why you are doing it However – off the top of my head… Here are my top five tips- Have a clearly defined plan for the next twelve months It is really important to build and plan your road ahead. Like any amazing journey the best way forward is to know & understand (a)where you are going and (b)how you plan to get there. In the fast world we live in I have learnt 12 month is about right for planning your business objectives. I then chunk this down into smaller bite size blocks that can be easily measured, tracked and actioned.
- Have at least five goals for your business for the next twelve months Always start with the end in mind.. (One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Great Habits!) Where are setting out to go to? This goes hand in hand with tip number 1. All the time it remains in your head it is simply a dream. Once you get this down on paper and more importantly shared with others it becomes a goal or objective. Simply knowing where you are going can make a massive difference to a business. I am constantly amazed by how many businesses have no idea where they are headed!
- Get a coach! – If you are truly congruent with the widget you should have a coach too.. This isn’t the only reason to have one of course, like all great athletes will tell you it is vital to have someone to keep you accountable & stretched. It’s also good to have someone to work with; being a business owner can be a lonely job. Your coach will be your unreasonable friend, telling how it is and being honest with you about what they see. Much of the time you will be battling with no one else but YOU! So having someone else to help you fight that battle can have a massive impact.
- Study and learn about selling & marketing, every week learn something new about how to market successfully. The early days is always heavily about selling & promoting what you do. This involves a multitude of skills, things like – how to close a deal, social media marketing, communication, leadership, networking, advertising etc. It is a huge area that is full of wonderful things to learn. Set a goal to become a great marketeer – regardless of your business widget.
- Build a great network.. Both online (Social networks) and offline (Business networking) I say “your level of success is directly related to people who know and like you..” Build a business network. The successful business owners I work with are great network builders. they know that in today’s markets its about relationship building not selling…
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