In my last article, we continued our series on setting up a successful business. We learned that the secret to business is exceeding customer expectations.
This time we finish up our 3-part series by discussing specific steps to start your business off right.
Today, we’ll introduce a very simple 4-step process that will ensure that you focus your business on the right audience.
Step 1 – Tell 10 people in 1 sentence what your business is. It has to be short and specific. If you can get your idea clear and concise and can describe it to someone in 1 sentence with clarity and excitement then you are on the right track to building a successful business.
Step 2 – Write a mission statement. The first sentence of your mission statement describes what your business is about. The second sentence elaborates on who your customers are and what their experience will be. The third sentence describes the results you expect. The fourth and final sentence describes how you’ll know when you have achieved success.
Step 3 – Continue to refine your mission statement. You’ll find that after you’ve told 10 people in 1 clear sentence what your business is about that your view of that business and how you describe it will change. As you continue to tell people your business concept, you find that each time you’ll describe it with more focus, clarity and enthusiasm. At that point you’ll be ready to go on to sentences 2, 3 and 4. The answers will come easily because of the clarity you’ve gotten through describing your business.
Remember, the more clear YOU are on what business you are in, the more easily you’ll be able to satisfy your customers.
This step can be time consuming. In fact, it may occur and grow over several weeks or months. You may be tempted to think that this is wasted time, but this is THE most important step in your business plan. Time spent on this step will keep you from making costly mistakes in time and resources later on.
This clarity will practically eliminate questions such as: Where am I going? What do I need to do? Who is my ideal customer? After this step you will have repositioned yourself several times and you will have eliminated many of these questions through the natural process of clarifying your business goals.
Step 4 – Get Started! Now that you have a clear picture of your business goals, you have to dive in and get started. Yes, you’ll make some mistakes along the way, but that’s part of the process. Trust yourself and have fun. after all, it’s your business!!
Wayne and Scott Foreman are co-owners of
www.build-passive-income.com
They just published a report on creating and building income
that keeps working even when you’re not. Check it out here:
