This week marks THIRTEEN YEARS since Suasion launched and began helping organizations influence their communities, their stakeholders, and others to make a positive difference in the world. And, boy, did we ever do that! From changing thinking about living with a disability, workforce development and chronic health conditions to influencing community support and employee culture – we are grateful for the successes and the clients with whom we partnered! Suasion continues to develop and apply influence strategies that go well beyond traditional marketing. And our founder is now helping other entrepreneurs develop thriving businesses and lives lived on purpose. She shares these 13 tips she has learned over our 13 years.
1. Make time to work ON the business, not just in it. Doing the activity of your business is what makes you money. I get that. But taking time out of the doing to plan and organize is what will enable your business to grow and your life to be lived more fully.
2. Work in your strengths and fill in for your weaknesses. We are each good at some things, but not at everything. Know what your strengths are. If you aren’t sure, there are several assessments that can help you understand yours. In those areas where you aren’t strong, don’t waste time trying to develop them. Instead, recruit people who are strong in those areas to fill in the needed gaps and offer advice. These may be employees, professionals, consultants, mentors, or even family members.
3. Build the team – and they will build the business. If you’re fortunate enough to have good employees, focus on equipping and encouraging them. They, in turn, will be what makes your business a success.
4. Get out of your head. Whether you’re a one-person business or the one-at-the-top, the voices in your head can create a swarm of emotions that sometimes have no place to go. Your doubts can’t be shared with employees and often family or friends don’t understand. If you’re not careful, these can create a downward spiral. The prevention and cure are to identify the source of the voices and recognize what is true and factual. Then, get among people who can speak into you and to whom you feel safe speaking. Peer groups, trusted advisors and coaches are great for this purpose.
5. Make it a point to celebrate the wins. Oftentimes, we’re so focused on the next thing to be done, we miss the opportunity to experience the joy of what we’ve accomplished. Take time to reflect on the good work you’ve done, the compliments from customers, and the challenges you’ve overcome. Celebrate with employees, family or friends.
6. Don’t be afraid of conflict. While some people enjoy it, most people avoid conflict. However, conflict – handled correctly – can be very valuable. It leads to better decisions, stronger
strategies and innovative ideas. Learn how to use conflict to improve your business.
7. Be a person of conviction. People often tell me they are praying for courage – courage to step out in a new direction, to make a hard decision, or to leave their comfort zone. I advise them to instead, pray for conviction, because conviction produces courage. If you believe strongly in your vision and the value it brings to your customers and to the world, you will have no choice but to bring it.
8. Differentiate your business. With so much noise in the marketplace, you must make your product or service stand out. That requires a deep understanding of your customers and your business. Know your competition. Find a way to provide your product or service that is different from anyone else and meaningful to your customer.
9. Know when good is good enough. This is for all the perfectionists (myself included!) Sure, we want to do everything to the level of great; but doing so when good truly is good enough is a waste of precious resources. Carefully consider when that extra effort or time won’t really make a meaningful difference – and let it go.
10. Embrace the failures. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not really succeeding. The only way to grow is to try new things. And when you try new things, you will sometimes fail. That’s how we learn and get better. Failure is not a personal flaw, it’s a necessary part of succeeding.
11. Focus. The nature of most business owners leads to having many different ideas about what to provide and who you can serve. Generally, your energies are most effectively spent on focusing on a few things you can do really well. Imagine your time and energy is represented by ten lines with an arrow at the end: Each is one inch long and each is going in a different direction. Together, those ten inches move many things a short distance. Now, visualize one ten-inch line with an arrow extending in one direction. This same ten inches reaches much farther.
12. Step out of it on a regular basis. It’s easy for entrepreneurs to become consumed by their business. There is always something that should be done, thought about, decided . . . but the only way to be at your best in doing any of those activities is to regularly stop doing them. Take time to be completely outside of it, relax and have fun. (This tends to be even harder when you’re in a family business. My husband and I have set times where neither of us is allowed to discuss our business. It’s good for us individually – and for our marriage!)
13. Remember why you’re doing it. Owning a business is hard. There are days when flipping burgers sounds like a great career move. But there was a reason you chose to do this. If you’ve lost your drive or your vision, work on getting it back. Hire a coach, find a mentor, or take some time to remember your purpose. Re-align your business activities and plans to support the life you desire.
For more information on how Suasion can apply its influence strategies to achieve your organization’s goals, visit our website at www.Suasion.us or call Karen Gross at 717-432-2468 x103. If you are an entrepreneur and intrigued about our founder’s insight, shoot Victoria Lindstrom an email at Victoria@Suasion.us. We look forward to what the future holds as we continue helping nonprofits make our communities better while our founder coaches entrepreneurs to make their businesses stronger.