Turning Cross Country Skiing into Fast Pace Snowboarding

Photo by oo se7en 

Sometimes it seems like time is flying and you are not getting anywhere, your business is not growing, you are not turning enough profit. It happens, it has happened to me. But there are ways to make your business grow faster and keep momentum building.

Focus. One of the main problems with growing is distraction. Being in business, you are constantly barraged with new ideas and opportunities. A lot of them sound good and could potentially be very profitable. They can also be counter productive. No matter how good an idea sounds it is taking you away from the core of your business. What is the core of your business? The reason you started it! And if it was to make money, you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing. Something a lot of people neglect is to market their product or service enough. You can have a great thing to offer but who cares if no one knows about it. Even if you have customers / clients you could still have more. That is how a business grows. You should make sure you spend a good portion of your time getting the word out.

Customer Service. They say (and by they I mean every article ever written on marketing) that word-of-mouth is the best, fastest, and cheapest way to market. This is very true, which is why good customer service is vital. If you treat each customer like they are important, which they are, you will see a turnaround from it. Very simple equation here. Your clients associate with others that share their interests. Their interest are potentially what you have to offer. Its a nice little triangle of you, client, and their network. Be good and the word will spread.

Goals. This is by far the most important thing to have as a growing business. Without goals you have no where to go (but down). As simple as it sounds, many do not really focus on goals. When you have a goal, go with it. Stick to it. Accomplish it. Set short term (monthly) and long term (yearly) and write them down so they are right in front of your face. Want to grow your business 30% in the next month? Do it. If you have the mind set, and it is staring you in the face, you are much more likely to get it done!

Build Momentum. In cross country skiing you have a constant struggle to keep moving forward but if you strap on a snowboard* and go down the mountain you will build momentum. Fast. This means using your resources and making your successes work for you. If you nail a big client, make sure potential customers know about it. If you get a big payout, invest instead of taking out. If you hit your goal, make a newer, bigger one.

The key here is to make your business work for you and keep moving ahead. It will get easier as you go. Strap on the snowboard and take off!

*When actually Snowboarding or skiing be careful! Going down hill is dangerous. You can come out feeling accomplished or you can end up in the hospital with a broken hip. Trust me it happens… Don’t ask.