Is success a question of luck? Is it something that only happens to other people?
The truth is that success doesn’t happen to anyone. It’s a combination of hard work and worthwhile opportunities (plus more hard work). Basically, success is cultivated.
The good news? Anyone can be successful – it’s not something only for the elite or the privileged or the “lucky”. Each person’s journey to success is unique and your ability to adapt to new challenges and bounce back is a big part of that. You have to solve each new issue as it arises and build yourself up to be stronger each time. Your journey, with its set of challenges, will be different from the next person’s journey and subsequent challenges.
Success magic? There are a few winning ingredients that every successful person has managed to integrate into their journey. Hard work takes the cake and when you break that down you’ll find that the trifecta of good community support, a great brand look, and a solid ethos will establish your good reputation.
Shall we break that down?
The Right People
As the saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. That doesn’t only mean climbing your way to success by leveraging the power of those ahead of you. It also means identifying talent and skill in those you employ and leveraging that to move your business forward.
You also need to build a support structure around yourself and your business. Friends and family or even a counsellor are ideal for emotional support. Not everyone wants emotional support, but being able to offload your frustrations verbally without any advice, is often very powerful.
Alongside your emotional support structure, build a business support structure too. Join a business networking organisation or a few communities of likeminded professionals. Build a community around yourself you can turn to for practical and unemotional advice.
The Right Look
The importance of branding isn’t lost on anyone. We all understand that a company image makes our brand easier to identify with. It’s the personality behind your business.
Building your brand’s identity should consider three important points. Firstly, think about your ideal customer. The client you’d like to bring onboard more than anyone. What kind of person is that? Your brand should have the personality of your ideal client’s most trusted friend.
Secondly, consider your brand colours. Is your business professional and corporate – like a lawyer? Or is it relatable and charismatic – like someone who owns a surf shop?
Finally, look at the industry standard. What are your competitors doing? Don’t look to them for inspiration, but rather, look for new ways to tell the same story in your brand’s look.
The Right Sound
Have you heard of authentic marketing? It’s one of the new buzzwords in the marketing industry and honestly, with good reason.
Authentic marketing is all about aligning your brand with a certain ethos and upholding them, consistently.
Authentic marketing sets you in good stead with most consumers because it inspires a greater deal of trust. It’s also about showcasing vulnerability and no longer acting like the biggest and best in your industry. Instead, you use the down-to-earth aspects of your business to appeal to the humanity in consumers.
The magic of success is all about broadcasting who you really are behind the mask and connecting that with real people – buyers – by building the perfect support structure around yourself.