TOP 10 MUST HAVES TO BE A SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

TOP 10 MUST HAVES TO BE A SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS



As a small business entrepreneur for nearly 4 decades,

I've been able to use aspects of that endeavor

to help enable me to become a successful small

business person.



If I were to put together a top 10 list of "must" haves

whether you’re a "Mom " and "Pop” , Home Based, or a

well-established small business, it would go something

in this order …...



# 1: Have a Vision -



Where is that you see your business in 3 to 5

years? How do you want it to look? How do you

want it to run? Do you have a business plan? Do

you have a Mission Statement? Do you have a

Vision Statement? What is your succession plan?



# 2: Believe in Your Talent -



Talent by itself is never enough. There are a

lot of times that people who have tremendous

talent come up way short of ever fulfilling their

potential. You have to believe in your talent,

be passionate about your talent, continue to

invest in your talent and surround yourself with

the best talent available.



# 3: Assemble Your Team -



A smart business entrepreneur makes sure that he

or she is surrounded by talented professionals

and not just a bunch of "yes" people. It's

essential that you have a professional corporate

attorney, CPA, financial adviser bookkeeper,

insurance person and a front office manager as

part of your team. An attorney and CPA are a must

from the start, and you can add additional pieces

to your team as you grow.



Be sure that you take the advice of your

professional advisers, after all that's what you

pay them for. You may not always like what they

have to say, but it's important to listen to

them.







NOTE



If you're a freelancer, obviously you don't need to

hire a full team at first. .... but as money starts to

flow in, I've found this to be great advice. Don't be

afraid to turn to trusted pros, when you can afford

to do so.



# 4: Empower Your Team -



Equip your team with the resources that they need

in order to be successful.



In addition to helping them be successful, you’ll be

successful too.



It's tempting to take shortcuts in order to save money,

but it's important to keep your team up to speed in this

and age of high technology and development.



Your team will consist of professional advisors

and everyday employment personnel.



No matter what position they occupy in your business,

it's important that they have the tools that they need

in order to help your business be the best it can be.



Another thing to keep in mind is to delegate

responsibility and decision-making capabilities

to various personnel throughout your company.



An employee, who feels empowered by the owner, is a

much more productive employee.



# 5: Peer Networking -



One of the most valuable activities that you can

involve yourself with as a business owner is

networking with your peers.



There are numerous opportunities for you to get

outside of your business and network with other

business owners.



There are groups such as the Chambers of

Commerce, Rotary, Business Associations, and

several weekly or monthly membership-based

networking groups.



Make sure that you attend one or two networking

activities a month in order to promote your business

and find out about those businesses in your community.



# 6: Realize Early on That You Don't Know

Everything -



Most business owners find themselves at various

stages of their businesses, having to wear a

multitude of hats.



That's okay from time to time, but it's also important

to keep in mind, that there are probably other people

out there who can do a much better job than you can

simply because they can bring a different perspective.



Every business owner will find themselves at the early

stages of their business fulfilling just about every role

imaginable, be it answering phones, scheduling clients,

marketing and/or keeping the books,.... and that's fine

from time to time (matter-of-fact it's good to learn every

position in your business) but you don't want your

business to rely on you having to fill every role.



As soon as you're able, delegate responsibilities

to others on your team so that they feel more

valuable, and it eases the workload on you.



# 7: Realize Early on You Can't Do Everything -



Similar to what's above, realizing early on that

you can't do everything is a key to business

success. There is a very high "burnout" factor

for owners who have an "I – can - do - it – all –

by - myself" attitude and refused to delegate

responsibilities to other members of the team.

You may feel like no one can do it better than

you can (and that may be true), but if you want

to keep your team engaged with a sense of

ownership and empowerment, it's important to

delegate responsibilities to them because it

shows a sense of trust and confidence in the rest

of your team.



There will be plenty of opportunities for you as

a business owner to "burn the midnight oil" so

you might as well wait for those opportunities to

roll around and be well rested and prepared.



# 8: Stay Current -



With technology advancing at warp speed, it's

important for every business owner to stay up-to-

date with some of the latest and greatest

resources to help your business. It's true that

there's so much out there that one cannot

possibly absorb it all, but that goes back to the

matter of you needing to be an owner who can keep

his/her "head up" to see the big picture and

opportunities in front of you and not get wrapped

up with a "nose to the grindstone" mentality and

approach.



Be adventuresome and daring in trying new

techniques and technology that can help enhance

your business. It's okay to take a "trial run"

at various techniques just to see how they may

fit into your business. One thing is certain,

"nothing stays the same, and change is the only

constant". You've got to keep up with the ever-

changing world that we live in.



# 9: Don't Be Afraid of Change -



Even if you feel that you aren't changing, the

world around you is. More importantly, if you

aren't changing, you can bet that your

competitors are, and most likely trying to change

for a competitive advantage over you.



It's only natural for us to get complacent and

doing the same old thing because that's what

we've always done.



I've got a great quote on the wall in my office

that says "change is inevitable .... but growth

is optional". I don't know about you, but I

choose to grow.



One of the advantages of having a diverse team is

the fact that they offer a broad range of

perspectives and opinion. Older employees tend

to stick to a tried-and-true method that may or

may not be outdated, while younger employees have

fresh brand-new ideas that you may want to

consider implementing if the time seems right.



# 10: Find Your MVP -



In order for a small business to thrive, it's

important for it to operate as a team. In order

for a team to thrive, it will have many movable

and variable parts that need to stay coordinated

together.



Every team has an MVP (Most Valuable Person) who

the owner feels comfortable and confident enough

in to have that person as his/her "Go - To -Guy". For

me that person is my project manager, Randy, who has

been my right hand man for the past 15 years.



Your MVP may or may not be the most visible or

well known person on the team. Your MVP may be

someone who is tucked away in a back office, with

their sleeves rolled up, and battling daily in

the trenches in order to keep your business

running. Your MVP may be your front desk person,

or your hot shot salesperson that you have out in

the community. Whatever the case, work closely

with your MVP (they most likely know how the

business works better than you do) and recognize

them and appreciate them in an appropriate manner.



There it is....my list of …..



TOP 10 MUST HAVES TO BE A SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS



Take MASSIVE ACTION and start implementing them today, and EXPLODE YOUR

SMALL BUSINESS BOTTOM LINE !





Glenn



Glenn E. Toler

Mainstreer Marketing Solutions



Glenn E. Toler is the owner of Mainstreet Marketing Solutions



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