6 things you must not do for a successful startup business
A business startup is one of the challenging things one can thing of. When starting a business you get overwhelmed by all sorts of feelings, and most commonly fear and doubt.They challenge you throughout your journey. It’s terrifying to take the risk of offering your skills to the world, wondering if they’ll be valued. But you still have to do it. Why? Because you are passionate about it.
It is so difficult to start a business, but for it to be a success, you have to keep on breaking the boundaries. Work hard, as cliche as it sounds, you have to keep on working hard. Of all the people who have made it in business, none of them will ever tell you that there were days where did not have to work. Remember that success is not a destination, but the road that you’re on. Being successful means that you’re working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it.
So, as you walk towards your success, here are a few things that you must not do when you are still stating a business:
1. Do not forget that it is normal to be fearful.
As somebody once put it, If your dream does not scare you, it is not big enough. Fear is a normal feeling, and it would be more worrying if you didn’t experience it.
2. Do not wait for manna to fall from heaven.
Do something for yourself.Do not just idle. Great and successful people do not sleep, they wake up early. They are known to be early risers. “Manna will definitely fall from above, but it’s gonna fall for those who cultivated “manner farms” on the cloud.”
3. Do not play the blame game.
The journey of entrepreneurship is full of difficult situations that are beyond our control. Many times we are faced with things we cannot fix, and at those times we often look for excuses, for reasons why, for someone other than ourselves to point a finger toward. Don’t! People who do not take responsibility hardly succeed in life.
4. Don’t wait for help to knock on your door.
Go out there and look for opportunities to grow your business. You cannot expect someone to come and ask if they can invest in your business. You have to go out and look for investors.
5. Do not seek comfort.
Stay out of your comfort zone. Successful people are always seeking to do what is most uncomfortable. That is how they make it in business.
6. Do not spend your money without planning.
Do not spend money on the things that are not important. It is no secret that many startups fall into this trap.
TIP: Never spend money on production before you know that you have customers ready to buy.
Successful people maintain a positive focus in life. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.
Jack Canfield
Remember, a successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
B.O.B episode 11 – face your giants
It all good and well to make resolutions, set goals and visions for ourselves as the year starts. But very often we avoid facing our giants. All the things that keep us awake at night are our giants, but do we usually have a strategy on how to attack those giants in our lives?
These giants come in different forms and sizes. No matter how they come, when they come, how big or small they are, we need to face them.
So what are those things that keep you awake at night about your business? Is it cash-flow, marketing, client retention or sales?
Watch the attached video (Bruce on Business episode 11) as we unpack the three rules to face the giants in your life.
And the winner is…
We are entering the awards season for television, music and the movies again. The press is all abuzz with predictions and hopefuls doing their campaigning and speech writing. But there has been another prize more sought after than any Oscar or Golden Globe.
The US Power Ball was drawn yesterday with the winning numbers 4-8-19-27-34: 10. This has escalated one person who bought a ticket at the 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, California to a new wealth of $1.4 billion.
That translated into local currency looks like this: R23 229 920 000.00. So what would you do with this sort of deposit into your bank account?
OK, let’s stop dreaming, it wasn’t you who won, so get over it. But what was interesting is how so many people all around the world were going frantic to win their fortune. Ticket sales were reported as $1.3 million per minute leading up to the draw last night. I am sure that everyone who had a ticket was already dreaming about their future spending, plans to travel and donate to charity. But the emotional downer of not winning and having to now cope with the jealousy against the winner and all hopes of a financial secure future dashed.
What lessons can or should we learn from all of this? I have a few to share:
Do not put all your hope in winning a future. I know too many people who have put their life on hold until they win the lotto.
Do not spend essential money on gambling. Allocate a certain amount if you must and then spend that and only that.
See the lotto and gambling as a form of entertainment, not as a form of income.
Make plans for your life that do not include winning a future. Plan a career, start a company, invest in something more substantial with better odds that 1 in 292 million.
Work is a blessing. Go out each day and work hard for your living. Put passion, effort and energy into each day and do not wait on the side lines hoping for a free handout. It may never come.
So, let’s go out today and get over your no-winning blues, get dressed and put in a good days work. And congratulations to that person in California, I trust that you will spend the money wisely, with caution and intent. And if you have any left, please read this blog for my details.
How to make your blog successful.
How to make your blog successful.
Have you ever wondered why some bloggers are popular and have all the traffic while others are lucky to have 10 visitors per day? What really makes a successful blog?
Shane Dallas, a renowned travel blogger shares with us in the attached video on how to make a successful blog.
Content is king. There is a certain content that resonates with the readers more than any other. This happens when you tell a story. Stories are effective because they are memorable. Storytelling is one of the earliest forms of communication we have.
There are many blogs out there. The question is how do you make yours shine above all of them? Readers like something unique. Fresh content is the key to the success of your blog. So, whatever style you adapt, make sure your content is great and unique. Your blogging should detail what you have learned and how you’ve learned it. You need to take the readers through a journey similar to the one you have undertaken.
An effective blog should evoke emotions, and to instill emotions into a blog you have to follow these four steps:
• Pictures – Beautiful images are always beneficial. Always remember the power of pictures.
• It is better to detail a few incidents than to cover many briefly.
• Use all the senses. Write what you feel, hear, taste or touch.
• Add a human connection to your blogs.
You should tell a story that strives to stir and strengthens a person’s pride and emotions. If your blog contains a story that evokes a person’s emotions and pride, then instead of you flogging your blog to the world, then the world will flog your blog for you.
Business Rescue Programme now available
The journey that each emerging business must take is paved with obstacles, sharp turns and deadly traps. Navigating this road as an Entrepreneur is not and never will be an easy task. For the first timer or even experienced business owner, it can be a nightmare of sink sand and red tape often resulting in the demise of both your business and financial security.
But not all is lost. The Entrepreneur Incubator has developed a treatment plan for this terminal condition: the Business Rescue Programme is now available for those who want some business medical intervention. This intensive care programme will help you understand what is going wrong, determine a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
The two days are spend in a workshop environment with others in a similar situation, guided by an experienced Business Coach, as you assess your business using a variety of methodologies and tools. The second day is dedicated to a future focused strategy that will assist in finding a way forward towards full business health and future wealth.
This programme is currently offered in Cape Town each month and will be rolled out to other centres around South Africa as requested. A virtual course will be made available later this year that can be done online.
For more information or to book your place on the next Business Rescue Programme, go to www.ei.co.za/coaching/rescue. Your business health awaits you.