A common thing I hear from new and more established entrepreneurs, is that they want to see more growth in their business. Growth can mean different things to different people. For most of the clients I’ve worked with, growth includes getting more clients, having a consistent flow of prospects, getting more referral partnerships, and making more money. What would success look like in your business?
One of my favorite quotes is that “success leaves clues.” When I think about all of the business owners I know who are reaching their goals, they have a few things in common. It’s important to know what you need, before you need it. The idea of being proactive instead of reactive can be the difference between choosing to flourish and choosing to struggle. Here are 10 ways to grow your business faster!
1. Be Open-Minded
When someone makes a suggestion or offers constructive criticism, how do you respond? Regardless of what you think or may have heard, everyone who’s successful in business has learned from someone else. Whether that was from books, programs, or through conversations growth occurs when people exchange ideas.
2. Get Clear on Your Service/Product
Usually when people are first starting out, they don’t have clarity around what services or products they want to offer. Most entrepreneurs are passionate about many things and think that they can piece together everything and create a business. This isn’t a proven strategy. Having clarity around one thing to bring in revenue is the way to go.
3. Understand Your Ideal Client
Once you’re clear on how your business helps people, it’s time to focus on who is most interested in buying. The temptation is to focus on reaching anyone with a credit card. You’ll be successful sooner, if you zero in on one specific group of people with similar characteristics and beliefs. Those are your ideal clients.
4. Put Yourself Out There
Are you kind of sort of promoting your business? This is when you hide behind your computer and online tactics like SEO and social media. Yes, online marketing is important, but its not what’s going to get you a steady stream of clients when you are a new business owner. You’ve got to be out meeting people in person!
5. Talk to Coaches or Mentors
When people choose to be a lone ranger and try to “figure it all out themselves,” they usually: 1. – run out of money or 2. – quit on themselves and their business. Talking to a coach or mentor can save you time, energy, and money in the long run. It’s about how hard and how difficult you want to make things.
6. Ignore the Naysayers
When you have big ideas and audacious goals, there will be naysayers. These are the people who tell you that it’s not possible to be successful because you’re not smart enough, rich enough, your ideas aren’t viable and so on. In short, you need to ignore these people and limit your time around them.
7. Avoid Time Wasters
There are so many things out there that can consume your time. Distractions can even be disguised as important things to do, but in reality they push you farther away from your goals. Avoid spending hours on social media, obsessing about your website, and waiting for everything to be perfect before you take action.
8. Create a Knowledgeable Support System
Most people are only supported by family members and friends (who may or may not believe their business). The issue here is that those people can’t provide the insight or resources you need to have a successful business. They may mean well when they tell you to “stop working so hard” but that can actually be counterproductive.
9. Identify Potential Referral Partners
Think about companies and individuals who can refer you business. Make a list of the people you know in professions that are complimentary to yours. Reach out to them for coffee or a meeting. If you don’t have relationships with anyone who could help you, it’s time to start networking strategically.
10. Network with Serious Professionals
It’s almost impossible to grow your business without networking. Think about it, if you knew all of the people who could be potential clients and referral partners, wouldn’t your business have exploded already? Meeting new people and making good connections is a key to consistent growth. If you’re interested in learning more benefits to networking, check out this previous post.
After reading this list, what are your thoughts? Most people say, “That’s a lot of work!” I’m not going to sugar coat this, IT IS a lot of work to grow your business to the point where you’re making a full time income. Which area can you focus on to see the biggest shift in your business?
Porschia Parker-Griffin
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