Happy February LSB readers!
Well now it’s February and hopefully, you haven’t abandoned your 2011 resolutions. For us entrepreneurs, goals are important as ever on our road to global domination.
Two of my goals: Be consistent in the gym, and grow the business. When I was in the gym last week, it occurred to me that most exercising tips directly relate to growing your business.
Confused? Read on to see how these muscle growing or slenderizing (for you ladies) tips can strengthen your business.
1) Don’t Overexert Yourself
What’s going to happen if you lift too much weight? Injury. This rule is the same for your business. Rack up too much debt, take on too many clients, you’re going to hurt your business. A rule in exercising is to ensure you master the lower weight before you move up. Be real with your company’s capabilities and realistically conduct your business.
2) Don’t Follow the Other Guys
Just because the people at the gym look like they’re training to jump out of airplanes and you look like Andy Dick (this applies for both genders), doesn’t mean you should try and copy them (refer to tip #1). Remember at one point they were also novices and weren’t strong either. On another token just because they look good, doesn’t mean they used ‘honorable’ means to get there.
You’re business is the same. Your relatively new to the niche and not nearly as big as some of your industry powerhouses. Just because they can handle oodles of clients does not mean you can. Stick to your primary and secondary markets and eventually, you too can grow into a industry leader.
3) It’s Ok to Make Mistakes
Don’t ever get discouraged if you make a mistake. Nobody is perfect, and the worst thing you can do is to quit. With your business, if you make a mistake, chalk it up as human error and continue on your path to success. We all sometimes stutter on the phone, send bad emails, fail to close a deal… get over it. Learn from your mistakes and use them to strengthen your business.
4) Research Once! Research Again! Then By God Research More!
Another rookie mistake in the gym is to not research anything and just jump into it. You’re either going to improperly get stronger or seriously hurt yourself. If you are on the verge of launching your business, make sure you have all conducted all necessary research.
If you have already launched your business, then you should have already done a fair amount of research. Never stop; your industry will always change to keep up with the times. You don’t ever want to be left in the dust because your business practices are outdated.
5) Always Use the Best Form
I see most people at the gym putting up obscene amounts of weight, which is good. Often, they are doing this with horrible form, which is bad. Always use best practice business tactics and do not cut corners. You may see results now, but it will come back and bite you in the future. All these people in the gym may feel strong now, but we’ll see who’s laughing in 20 years when they look like Quasi Modo.
Blackhat SEO, spam email, false advertisement, all shady business practices that may yield quick results, will have devastating future effects. Be smart.
6) Get Creative
A big issue with exercising is when your body plateaus. This means your muscles become accustomed to routine and cease to grow/develop. With your business, there are plenty of ways to grow and develop. Now, if your business practices are working, and you’re continually growing, then this tip may be moot. However, for some of you, creative (and honorable!) business practices may just be what you need to grow your business.
For instance, a few years ago, companies that jumped on the social media ‘sensation’ found its value early and have undoubtedly grown because of it. Think of ways to beat your competition with a little pizazz.
7) Never Give Up, Be Consistent
In exercising, this rule is obvious. In business, it is very easy to forget, or to quit altogether. So your twitter account only has 25 followers, don’t give up! So your only Facebook fan is your mother, don’t give up! It is very important to remember to keep trying; as entrepreneurs, we have to remember it’s not how many times you fall, but how well you get back up.
Never forget to be consistent. If you want to post on your blog once a week, then post once a week! Consistency with your business practices will yield results. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, unpaid interns are awesome for relieving a little weight.
8.) Partner Up!
One huge reason why I’m consistent with the gym is because of my buddy Eugene. There have been plenty of days where I wanted to skip and he (literally) dragged my lazy butt into the gym. Because of this consistency, I have also made many friends with the regulars and personal trainers and they are always willing to lend a hand or helpful tip for my work outs.
Don’t think you’re alone in this race, because you’re not. Surround yourself with the entrepreneurial community. The one thing I have learned about entrepreneurs is that they are always willing to help each other out. Be it moral support, or a helpful service, the entrepreneurial community has ALWAYS been there whenever I needed help.
9) Have Fun!
There’s a reason why we sleep 4 hours a night, get rejected daily, travel long hours, risk everything, and stress out like a day trader. We’re entrepreneurs. In the daily grind of your business, it is very easy to get caught up in it all and stop having fun. If you’re not having fun, you may as well be working in a 6×9 cubicle for the Man (insert evil corporation link here).
We love what we do, don’t ever forget that.