Action Steps For Growing Your Business

It’s safe to say that if you own a business, you are probably looking to grow and expand. While it is a long process, there are a few different tactics you can use to make sure you are heading in the right direction.

There are a few areas in which a business needs to grow, not just in their pocketbook. The three sides of this triangle are financial growth, customer related growth, and brand awareness.

Write it down
And I don’t mean a note in your phone or on your computer. Writing goals down on a paper has been scientifically proven to help chances of these goals being remembered. Writing down just a brief statement is a good start. But ultimately, it is a good exercise to really buckle down and define what, when, how, and most importantly why.

Important note for this step: Don’t just write “I hope to double my customer base in six months.” write this instead: “I have over doubled my customer base in six months.” It literally rewires your brain. In Brian Tracy’s book, No Excuses, he talks about how writing out your goals in this voice actually changes your mental state from “I wish this was me” to “This is the person I am” and you start acting like the kind of person you need to be to attain the goal.
Define your Purpose
If you don’t define the why, then you have a goal with no purpose and no backbone. You need a good strong reason for doing what you are doing. The emotional driving force behind it, if you will. The “why” helps focus you and also ensures that you will be able to see your first step, and then those subsequent steps. Defining purpose helps keep that fire lit in your soul. Keep your eyes on the prize!
Game Plan
It is always good practice to expand on the details of your plan. Once you know why you are doing it, planning steps helps to flesh it out in your mind. It is important to note that the mind is a powerful thing, and the power of seeing something written out, writing it out, and reading it every day is monumental. Describing the process and journey to this goal only makes it that much more attainable in your mind. Being able to think the process out and notate small milestones to reference also helps you track progress and not get lost in the sea of self-doubt.
Keep Tabs on Progress
Like a stairway, a goal has many action steps involved. It is a series of initiatives. In order to grow your customer base, what are you doing? Signing up for a service to help organize email blasts, incorporating an email collection point on your website, marketing campaigns and tactics to target new customers and create repeat customers…
For each point along the journey, there is a smaller task that you can check off. It’s important to pat yourself on the back, but never forget to use those small successful moments to keep charging forward.
It is also important to note that there will always be stumbling blocks. Something will take a little longer than you’d like, or you have to wait on production, or there was a delay in this other thing... Never get too fixated on these negative things. Keep pushing onward. Success is not for the faint of heart. It’s the journey, not the destination.
Delegate
Remember that it might be your company, but there are many men on your ship. Progress doesn’t happen because the captain is up helping unfurl the sails. Don’t be afraid to delegate. You hired these folks for a reason, let them shine. This gives you time to focus on future goals, planning, and contingency planning. You don’t need to fret over the small stuff when you have bigger things to do!
It’s hard when you came from having your own nose on the grindstone. Sometimes you have the feeling that you can do it faster or better, but that will get you nowhere. Boost your teams morale, keep it positive. Let them know they are valued. Growth is a team sport, so kick some tasks to your team and the pace will undoubtedly pick up. If needed, take some extra time to nurture and mentor your team so that you can all be more efficient and feel more satisfied with your work.
Track and Reassess
It’s scary to check in and see where you’re at, but it’s important to know when the process is working and when it’s not. Don’t be afraid to stop and reassess. Follow your gut and make sure to keep positive and trust the advice of your team of experts. Make sure to check in with your team and see whats is working and whats not.
Keep in mind that the road of success has many twists and turns. There will be moments where you have to rework and change direction, but just like Walt Disney said, “Keep Moving Forward.”