The inspiration for this article came from a video I watched this week from one of the top business coaches in the USA. We can never think we know everything, as that is the time we start going backwards. The video I watched was frightening in one respect but packed with good information to help the small business community survive and thrive in the most testing time any of us have gone through – but only if you take ACTION and take it NOW!
Technology is part of our everyday lives but I really do fear for those businesses who use it too much, as I firmly believe that these businesses are walking on very thin ice, and could have the rug pulled from under their feet at any time. Large tech companies like Amazon, Google, Apple and Facebook are a massive risk to our businesses and our lives. These 4 companies and many others like them are eroding the business communities before our very eyes without us even noticing, and we do need to wake up. Unless you watched the video I saw – and only a few have – then you may not have thought about what is happening, but I guarantee you will understand it if I explain it to you.
It is so vital for so many businesses that when we are marketing our business that we don’t do everything online. We need an offline presence as well, but it’s not just enough to have an offline presence. It is what we do with that offline presence that counts – and this is an area I can help you with. To really get a grip of your marketing, make sure you are using professional help and support. To run a business properly, you cannot do everything yourself.
Because so much is changing so quickly, we really do need to make sure we future proof our income. As the quote said, the future is in our power and in our hands. The last 18 months should have shown us what can happen if we don’t protect our income and if we don’t have a slush fund or as I prefer to call it a “What if the shit hit the fan” fund. Too many people and businesses live for the now and don’t have money put aside for a rainy day.We can never assume that something like this will not happen again as there is every likelihood that it will. So many businesses I have seen over the last 40 years since I started in business really have no plans, no savings, no structures, no systems and processes, and no foundation and are very liable to fall down at any moment. Then they will use some external excuse for them going out of business, when they were the architects of their own downfall by not adapting and changing due to the circumstances that surround them.
Most business owners are working hard. In fact many are working too hard and they are getting nowhere. They seem to relish and brag about the fact they work 80 or 90 hours a week. This is really nothing to brag about as all it says to me is that you are not doing what you should be doing. They are not working smart. Just working hard is never going to reach true success. You need to work smart – work from the neck up and not from the neck down. Spend quality time working on your business – every week.
We need to be ahead of the game. We need to see what is happening around us. We need to follow trends and we must put ourselves in a position that whatever comes along, we can still operate our business. Our future is down to us but we must learn from the past. We must be willing to learn at all times. So if you don’t want your business to be impacted by the Four horsemen of the Apocalypse, then we really do need to have a meeting. The answer is simple but I am not going to tell you what it is in this article, and there are many businesses who will know the answer, and used to do it and due to how things have changed over time, they have forgotten about it. Give me a call and lets chat.
This article was first published on LinkedIn by Richard Knight on 27/10/2021