What Are You Doing Right In Your Business?
I can’t figure out if it’s the “perfection” bug in most entrepreneurs and small business owners or just society’s emphasis on focusing on problems, but most business owners I know spend a lot of time focusing on things they’re doing wrong in their business instead of celebrating the fact that they’re doing a lot of things right!
One of the best companies I’ve ever seen is a catalog company by the name of Dr. Leonard’s. This company did its basic blocking and tackling better than anyone else in the industry. This company has grown steadily throughout the years and was bought and sold three times by three different private equity firms.
I can still see the faces of all the investors, bankers, lawyers, and advisors in the room when the management team would present the handful of simple things they focused on every day. Every one of these outside parties would sit there with their jaws dropped in disbelief by how such a simple, disciplined and focused strategy of doing a handful of things right every day led to such tremendous results. Everybody in the company was focused on these things they needed to do right.
How much better do you think your small business outcomes would be if you focused on what is going right and trying to ensure that you keep doing those things right? It’s gotten you this far after all hasn’t it?!?!
We are oftentimes so focused on the grass on the other side of the fence that we only see the weeds on our side? We have quite a bit of grass too, and just because we can’t see their weeds doesn’t mean they’re not there! Here’s an exercise to help you figure out what are those right things your company should be focused on:
– Spend 20 minutes this week jotting down a list of all the things you’re doing right in your business.
– Once you have that master list, prioritize it in terms of what’s most important to your customers.
– Focus on the top 1 or 2 things that your market cares about the most from that list and find ways to improve on those things.
It’s the old adage of building on your strengths instead of amplifying your weaknesses. Make sure you limit it to only 1 or 2 things because if you pick more than that you’ll lose your focus and will not make progress. Rally your entire organization, (even if you have only 10 employees) around those 1 or 2 things and you’ll find ways to improve your customer loyalty which will lead to additional customers.
This is no different than a sports team focusing on playing “its style” of basketball, football, volleyball, etc. instead of trying to match the other team’s style. If you do the simple blocking and tackling in your business better than anyone else, you’ll rise to the top even though you aren’t doing everything right.
It’s about time you take a break and celebrate and focus on the things you’re doing right! Give yourself a pat on the back once in a while and try to keep your focus on positive items whenever possible.