Preparing for Roadblocks, Flat Tires, & Detours in Growing Business
You will hit some challenges when growing your business. That’s OK!
Never lie to yourself about the obstacles that could come up, especially when it comes to a business venture. Even a bootstrapping business will have a great investment of time and energy, if not money, and you don’t want to waste those by not being prepared for challenges that might come your way.
In this article, we’ll discuss a few basic rules to follow to avoid the biggest of those challenges.
Stop Comparing Yourself to the Big Dogs
One of the most common mistakes made by small startups is to try to do what the big dogs do. This is a mistake because you are not on a level playing field with anyone having a large, established business.
Large corporations have had years to build up their clientele, following, and brand. Comparing yourself to them, or attempting to run your business like them, will result in disappointment for you. You simply can not compare a bootstrapping startup on a shoestring budget to a large conglomerate with investors, and you certainly shouldn’t try to compete with them. That being said, consider the fact that your business is small as a perk to many clients. You can provide more custom solutions or more care to your clients. Your growing business needs time to thrive.
Quit Planning and Start Doing
You can plan until you are blue in the face, but it will not get you anywhere until you take that first, undeniably terrifying step. You must take those first action steps in order to get the momentum you need to move forward. This single, seemingly simple step is one that causes so very many businesses to fail.
Once you are able to get past the fear of moving forward, you will find that gaining momentum becomes much, much easier. That fear will happen to you, though, every time you need to take a step forward, and out of your comfort zone. Better to just get used to it early, and see it for what it truly is – the feeling that comes from doing something right!
Focus, Focus, Focus while Growing Business
Learning to focus solely on the tasks at hand will be the one skill that will help you stay organized and on top of revenue-generating day to day motions in your business. Without this focus, you will end up chasing the “shiny objects” that will make you FEEL as if you have a business, but are really just diversions from those things that you don’t like doing, or that you fear accomplishing.
Once you are aware of this little pattern of avoidance your brain will provide, you can head it off at the pass by simply learning to stay focused, and not deviating from your intended plan of action.
