Silent Killers of Business Success.

In maintaining or starting a business there can be many things that can destroy or slow down business success. It can stem from the top of management, to employees, investors, outside influences etc…….. What ever the case may be, here are a few killers of business success

     LACK OF INTEGRITY, LACK OF ORGANIZATION  &  LACK OF PLANNING

LACK  OF  INTEGRITY

In today’s society it’s easy to run into dishonest business men & women, true scam artists. It’s also easy to find honest business men & women who uphold high quality standards of honesty/ integrity and great business ethics.

Yeah, Yeah, Sure, there are many great liars & immoral people still in business today, but why would you want to be one of them ?

Many of them don’t last for long and having dishonest business practices can lead to many problems. You could lose customers, ruin your business, get sued or have problems with the government etc…….

Remember the big liars of the multi-million dollar company, ENRON ?  That’s just one example and there are oh so many more!

Try to distance yourself from dishonest business practices, set a high standard of GREAT CHARACTER, HONESTY, INTEGRITY & ETHICS. Write down a set of rules to follow & set top quality standards for yourself & your business. Join business organizations that uphold HONESTY & INTEGRITY in business practices.

You may have heard this said before : Honesty Is The Best Policy ! That’s true in business & life, so be honest with your clients, yourself & your business. It will come back to you, in one way or another, your clients will thank you for that. Your business can succeed better if your business ethics are grounded in Honesty, Integrity & Top Quality !

Become a part of the movement to change the way that business is done today! Check out : The Business Ethics Pledge !      

LACK   OF   ORGANIZATION   

Lack of organization in any area of business can flow into other areas of your business. Lack of organization can lead to miscommunication between management, employees, clients, co-workers, stakeholders, investors  etc………. 

Being disorganized can keep your daily business operations from flowing correctly. In business there should always be a system of organization in place. Sometimes people can bring their disorganization problems from one area  of business to another area. 

Sometimes disorganization can come from home into the work place, so if you are disorganized in your own personal life that can show up in your business practices which is not good.

You can start by keeping your own personal life organized, developing an organizational plan for all departments of your business, organize plans for failures or successes. In business there are always highs and lows.  Keep your home organized, car organized and keep your personal affairs in check. Make a list for each one. Sometimes starting with theses simple steps can flow into your business practices to keep them organized and for a business to run smoothly.

Especially if you work at home, you must respect the importance of order, organization and stay on top of that. This can also go for those who work outside of the home. Sometimes lack of organization in your personal life/ home and family can show up in the work place. 

Lack of organization can lead to being disorganized with important documents, lack of a filing system, being late to work, barely being able to keep appointments, you look into your purse or wallet you see crumpled up bills, your car looks like a garbage can, your closets are filled with junk and clutter {home or office}. These can not possibly be signs of a successful business person or a successful business.

Being disorganized can lead to losing clients or ruining your business. If you can’t maintain or organize your own things,  How could you manage things for your clients ? 

The world is not orderly and Yes, life is chaotic, but don’t let that chaos build into disorganization which leaks into your business. Take sometime out to organize your things in business and life. Even if that means taking a day off or two.

Try to steer clear of distractions in order to stay focused on business. Set aside some time to start getting organized and staying organized on a daily basis.  Learn to say  “NO” to distractions  i.e.,  things that take away from the business task at hand, say NO to time-robbing activities so you can focus on organizing, building and growing your business and say NO to doing it all yourself. You can get others to help you.

Staying organized in all areas equals business success. Organization helps you to stay on top of things. A healthy business is one who views their organizational plan every  2 –6 months or put your self on a schedule to review it, THEN STICK TO THE PLAN !

You need an organizational plan just like a business plan. You just don’t  “GET” organized to have success, You must “BE” organized.  “GETTING” organized is a start up and a quick fix. “BEING” organized has long lasting successful effects & benefits. “BEING” organized is a continuous journey, never stopping and it really takes GREAT DISCIPLINE to “BEING” organized.  

You have to have a system in place that will help with the daily work flow or operations. Disorganization equals: Piles of papers, lost documents, being late for things, missed placed things, high stress & frustration etc……..

Disorganization can leave you at the end of the day feeling like you have accomplished nothing. Then you need to rethink your organizational skills & systems. “BEING” organized is one business hurdle that you can conquer to stay successful.

Tips to Staying Organized 

1. Never Put off till tomorrow what you can do today.- act on it now, provided that you have the time. Make time to get organized, to stay organized or you never will.

2.Break It Down- section things into smaller segments, do a little every other hour until it gets done.

3. Storage- Organize things into labeled containers, identify things before you store them away. It is the quality of the things that you have not the quantity i.e {store away things of importance, remove unnecessary duplicates.}

4. Seek Help - seek a professional organizer, friends, family or coworkers to help.

5. Get Rid of Clutter- sit down and figure out what is important, prioritize, there is no need to keep piles of papers or other things. Choose to live a more orderly life ! It will destress you and FREE YOUR MIND !

6. File Away- don’t let papers pile up, develop a filing system, file away paper immediately. Don’t let them sit on a table or in a box, read them, deal with them NOW!

7. Give Away- give away the things that you no longer use to the trash or charity. You can also sell things and get some extra cash.

8. Put It In It’s Place- find a home for everything, everthing has a place or create one. Then remember to put away things as you finish using them.

9. Wise Judgment- to organize your life, use wise judgment to put things in order. Visualize yourself every day “BEING” organized to help stay that way. Try to avoid distractions that keep you from staying on track.

10. Motivation is Key- motivation is a huge part of starting organiztion & staying orgainzed. Involve others to stay motivated, use special reminders and reward your self for staying organzied.

11. Say No - saying NO,  to distractions and non-important things that can take away your focus from organizing.

12. Plan & Prepare- good preparation & planning is also key in helping you to stay organized and reaching your goals. You will be stress free and enjoy your accomplishments. Write down everything keep it on a schedule, a “to-do-list” or reminder list. Check off everything that you have finished, never move on to another thing until you have completely finished the one before.

13. Remember “YOU”- put yourself on a schedule to relax and destress a few moments out of each day . No interruptions: no phone calls ,  no family , no appointments  etc………

LACK  OF  PLANNING

If you don’t have a good structured business plan how will you know where you are going? Writing a business plan & personal plan can help to keep you on track. Preparing a business plan forces you to consider every aspect of your company’s operations. You can get business planning software to help you. Skipping the step of writing a business plan means not asking yourself key questions about your business success or failure.

You learn what it takes to be successful when you create a plan and think things through. Some businesses don’t create a plan because it takes too much time but that is apart of being in business. Some people get so busy working on other things till they overlook , working on a business plan.

Too improve your odds of success starts with PLANNING !  EVEN if you don’t need to borrow money or raise capital. Continue to look at your business plan and make small changes as you grow.  If you have been putting off working on your business plan, you should reconsider– It may be more helpful than you think.

Creating a Business Plan can help you to :

1. Make more money

2. Save time

3. Be more successful and keep you on track

4. Improve and make mistakes on paper

5. Create a foundation for your company’s growth

6. Make running your business easier and stress free

7. Keep you from making the same old mistakes, time and time again.

8. You will see where you are headed and maybe forecast the future.

In creating your business plan  it will help you to consider:

1. How to design your plan to fit your business:  

     Is a business plan template right for you?, Do I need help with my business plan ? 

2. How to gather Information for your business plan :

    Learn where to find information about your industry and competition. Learn where you want to be in the future ( the next 2 weeks, next month & next year). 

3. Business Plan Basics:

    Learn the key elements of a business plan. If needed, get business planning software or ask someone to help you.

4. Business Plan Maintenance:

    Once you write it down, don’t file it away forever. Look at it periodically and make changes as you grow.

Make plans for what you want to do or accomplish next week, each month & next year.

5. Analyze Customers:

    Learn who your target market is, demographic data, convey the needs of the    customer and show how your products or services meet these needs.

6. Learn To Sell, Sell, Sell  

Most importantly learn to sell. When you learn about your target market/clients, learn how to sell your business services so you can keep the clients coming in and staying.  

In order to make this plan happen, you will have to make a lot of predictions about the future. In order to be successful you must stay organized, have integrity/ honesty in all business practices, set ethical standards for yourself & your business, continue to plan and think of the future.

Need Assistance in maintaining or starting your business or projects, then contact: Clerical Business Solutions “The Solution To Your Business Needs !”

Renee Cloud-Virtual Assistant   Email: info@clericalsolutionsinc.net

Website: www.clericalsolutionsinc.net