1. Always stay positive
I have seen it with my own eyes far too many times – brand new small business owners who have great concepts but simply give up too early. Realize one thing: It’s going to be tough in the beginning. You are going to make small business mistakes and there are going to be times when you just want to forget the whole thing. But if you believe in your core ideals, and you maintain a positive attitude throughout all the trials and tribulations, chances are that you will emerge better off. Never lose your optimism, and stay upbeat during any initial obstacles you may encounter.
2. Track your progress
Once you’ve set your goals, you need to track your progress. I have noticed that a lot of first-time small-business owners fail because they do not recognize what is working and what isn’t. If you launch a certain marketing initiative, track it to monitor its effectiveness. If it’s not working after a certain period of time, then scrap it. If it works, build on it and see where it takes you. Capitalize on the things that work for you, and evaluate and revamp the ideas that don’t produce results.
3. Think win-win.
When dealing with clients, always think about how you can create a win-win situation for both your business and your client. Putting your client first will result in a higher degree of respect from your client, and this may lead to more business opportunities in the future. Having a good work ethic will pay off in many different ways if you develop the habit of putting your customers first.
4. .Set a timeline for achievement.–
Having a business plan is important. But you must also have a plan for when you hope to achieve the goal. If you plan your big goals wisely and set your priorities, you will learn to incorporate these goals into your daily “to do” list and other action plans so that you will stay on target to reach your goals at the time you promised yourself you would reach them.
5. Read more
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and Mark Zuckerberg are not small business owners — but they used to be. When asked to explain their success, “love of learning” consistently came up again and again.
More specifically, these titans of industry are all avid readers who devote a portion of each day to books. Some of them even get through a whole book every week.