The Four Imperatives of Business Success

You own a business. You founded it. You have built it. You are by any objective standard a success.

Yet, you know what price you have paid to get to “success” — countless hours, moments of wondering whether you made a right decision, hiring and firing people you thought would be the key to moving your business to the next level.

There are countless decisions you make every day that determine whether your business will thrive, survive or dive into oblivion. Whether or not you are willing to admit it you are an entrepreneur. Being one places you in the category of small to medium sized businesses which employ most of the world’s population. It means you have responsibilities to your employees, your family and yourself to insure your business a financial, ethical, societal and emotional success. Yes, success is more than just the money. Yet, the money it critical. Otherwise, you won’t be around that long.

So what are the four key elements of success?

Goals — Make Them Compelling

You need to have a valid business reason for existing. Sure vision, mission and the like are all important; but if you are unable to bring these into the realm of tangible, time-bound reality your customers, employees, even you will soon lose your way. You’ll become irrelevant. You’ll go out of business.

Operations — Find and Use Best Practices

The more effective your company’s daily operations are the better your company will be. It doesn’t happen overnight nor is it a simple matter of copying someone else. Effective operations are instilled over time. They are discovered through careful observation of your own company and others. They are the platform on which bold, audacious goals find fulfillment.

Leadership — Transform Your Business and Yourself

People are the substance of enterprises. With exceptional leadership comes remarkable results. And, while leadership is not your exclusive domain, it begins and ends with you. Are you empowering your team to take ownership of the part of the business with which you have entrusted them? Are you exposing yourself to the world of proven leadership ideas to apply to your company and yourself? Are you willing to be held accountable for the quality of your team?

Development — Profitable, Sustainable Sales

From day one of any business the sales imperative compels owners, management, the rank and file to measure the value of their combined efforts through sales. It is at this juncture between the enterprise and the market where you learn if your goals, operations and leadership are aimed at the needs of customers who vote with their dollars. It is also here that you learn the hard lesson of value. Sales done well enables your company to grow and prosper, done poorly…not so much.

What will you do about each of these key areas? Will you examine yourself and your team? Will you settle for mediocre hoping to stay in business, but not really sure what tomorrow will bring? Or, will you honestly assess who you are, what your company represents, how the market sees you? And then use the tools that will transform your business and you to be the leaders in your market.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment or check in with me at dscott@alphaamericas.com