Do Business Well

If “Your Own Business” is a game, you have to play the game against somebody. And unless you’re Eskom, you’re going to have competition. And your competition is going to be good and it’s going to keep getting better. So how competitive are you? How powerful is your desire to win?

Winning the game of “Your Own Business” means that you have to constantly track the competition, know what they’re doing, do what they do better, and beat them to the customer. At the same time, winning this game means not being reactive to the competition. It means constantly leading the competition and doing things they haven’t even dreamed of doing.

You want to know the truth? One of the main reasons why I am writing this is to leave our competition in the dust. This is combining insight on motivation, business management and franchising, has never been published before. It is a win for us. We’ve redefined the game.

For this moment, we’re in the lead. But the lead could change tomorrow. That’s just the way it is. So we will keep competing. We will keep winning. There may come a time when the competition passes us. But it won’t be for long. You know why? Because we love to compete. We love to win. And we love this business!!

It’s not good enough being a leader, you have to be a cheerleader. Become famous for your enthusiasm.

Know this truth: the moment you start your own business, you become a source of energy to everyone around you. Depending on your behaviour, you either become a positive source of energy or a negative one. We promise you that if you come to work in a bad mood, you will infect everyone around you with it. That day, the productivity of your business will suffer. You will lose business you could have won if you acted like you were excited.

If you want to become a highly successful entrepreneur, it’s not good enough just being a leader - you have to be a cheerleader. You cannot afford to walk around like a bear with a sore paw. You cannot afford to indulge in your own self-pity parties. You cannot afford to give in to your disappointments or frustrations. You know why? Because your every move, word and gesture is being scrutinized by those around you.

If you think that you’re going through stress, multiply that stress by ten and you may get close to the stress that your people will be going through. At least you’re in control. At least you have the massive dream to sustain you. At least you have the future income to look forward to. But your people at the rockface are dependent almost entirely on you. The chances are that they are surviving on a very tight budget. They are worried about the future. Their morale levels fluctuate from day to day. They tend to focus on the negative because that’s the natural tendency of many people.

What are we saying? Simply this: if you show that you cannot handle the stress, or if you demonstrate your anxiety, your people’s morale will crumble like puff pastry. When you are in front of people who depend on you for a living, you have to demonstrate how confident you are in the future. You have to transmit your faith and optimism at every opportunity.

In fact, you have to make a superhuman effort to motivate people constantly. People have three basic needs: Security, Recognition and Love. And whether you like it or not, you have to give them all three. If you choose your people carefully, they will work damn hard with you to get the business up and running. But good people are high maintenance people. They require a lot of TLC - tender loving care.

They need you to pick them up, pat them on the back and hug them every now and then. This function is as important a contributor to your success as anything else you do in your business.

We know what you’re thinking. Some of you may not be natural expressives or extroverts. It doesn’t matter. You have to do whatever you have to do in your own personal style. You have to find a way that’s comfortable for you but you have to find a way. We make you this promise: neglect the emotions of your people, and your business will perish.

And by the way, in the age of the Internet and outsourcing, we aren’t just speaking about the people who work directly for you. We’re talking about all the “virtual partners” you will have. These are all the service and product providers who will help you in your business.

So are you a Walking Rallying Cry or are you the Walking Wounded? When you are with colleagues or customers, do you lift them up or do you bring them down? Think about it - because your business will thrive if you lead by example. And your business will die if you don’t.

Become famous for your enthusiasm. Be the kind of person who others want to join because your spirit is so buoyant. In South Africa right now, people are being overwhelmed with problems and stress. They will flock to anyone who can light them up with hope and joy in times of darkness. And you know what? It doesn’t matter whether you are selling coffee or construction, customers are attracted to the light. So shine yours brightly.

And by the way, did you know that the word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word, Entheos, which means Godlike. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

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How competitive are you? How powerful is your desire to win?

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• Serious Selling Your Business part 2
• Serious Selling Your Business part 4
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• Making a Plan: how to construct a simple and workable business plan part 2
• If Employed by a Corporation, Be Realistic
• It takes time so have faith: Six simple steps ( 3&4)
• Making a Plan: how to construct a simple and workable business plan part 5
• Competitive Intelligence
• Control your cash flow because cash is king

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