No one teaches us how to run a business, so how do we run a business properly and avoid the holes so many business owners have fallen down?
There are books out there that will help you but theory and practicality are two totally different things. Books can prepare you but until you get stuck into a business you are entering the unknown and every business is different and every business owner is different. Getting into a personal development programme is highly valuable and books will improve you as a person and also give you hints and tips on how to build a business properly.
Over the last 30+ years since I set my first business up in 1987, I have seen so many businesses come and go. so many things that business owners do well and a bundle of things they don’t do well. I would recommend to anyone thinking about starting a business or if you have already started a business and are stuck, then go networking. Networking will open your eyes to the range of small businesses that are out there that can add massive value to your business. Most people go networking to sell. I went to build relationships and find people who could help me and add value to my business. And I did in abundance. These contacts helped me build a business properly right from the start – well 2 years into the business. I made a bundle of mistakes in those first 2 years but with help was able to rectify them and get back on track and they kept me on track.
Over 80% of all businesses in the UK are made up of businesses from just 1 to 9 people – micro businesses as they are called, and they add an immense value to the British economy, so we need them and we need them to think as big businesses and build their businesses properly.
You cannot think like a CEO of a major corporation from day 1, but learn this – we cannot expect to run a business like a freelancer and expect results like a CEO. We have to think big. Read “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz. This was the business and personal development book I ever read at 24 years of age – 6 years before I set my first business up, so the mindset was developing way before I started in business.
You need a strong reason why you want to build a business as without it there is no reason for its existence. 2 books – Start with Why and Find your Why by Simon Sinek. Please read the Henry Ford quote above.You must have a strong reason why. So three tips from this weeks tip of the week –
- Get into a personal development programme – and DO IT NOW
- Go networking – but go to find people who can help you more than just going to sell.
- Make sure you have a really strong WHY you are in business.
For help and support from someone who has been where you are, knows what it takes to succeed and to point you to quality people who can help you build a better business, email richard@lionheartmanagement.co.uk or message me through linked in – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardlionheartknight/
This article was first published on LinkedIn by Richard Knight on 16/11/2020