12 Tips to Grow Your Business

1. 

   YOUR PASSION will keep you in first place!

    Have passion –Certainly for you business, but also for life.  Your passion will help you overcome difficult moments and persuade people to work for you and want to do business with you.  I notice that people always flock to a person with passion. When it diminishes, take some quiet time to reflect on why you started the business and why you like being your own boss.  Find your “why”…your compelling vision that drives your success, a central, significant reason for devoting yourself, your time, talents and energy into your business.

2. Your major company asset is YOU-Take care of yourself.  Your health is more valuable than the most expensive machine or computer software.  Exercise, eat right and get enough rest.  Maintaining your health and balancing your business and family time will give you energy that will enhance your mental outlook.
3. Seize every moment-Look at every day as a gift filled with opportunities to rise above fear, self-doubt, and mediocrity.   Set specific goals to succeed and make every effort to exceed your own expectations.
4. Set an example of trustworthiness and integrity-maintain a strong work ethic.  Treat others with honesty and respect and the business will come.  It’s not about the bottom line, but about building relationships.
5. Be flexible, except with core values-At one point or another, your best laid plans will falter and will need to be changed.  Sometimes a trip in a different direction is just the way to increase growth.  However, NO matter the pressure for immediate profit, do NOT compromise your core values or integrity.
6.  Don’t let fear of failure hold you back-Look at failure as an opportunity to learn.  If you encounter a roadblock, think of ways around it and take action.  There is more than one road to success.  There will be plenty of ups and downs as you build your business.  Learn from them and move on.  You cannot change the past, but you can use it to your advantage and not make the same mistake twice.
7. Use your time wisely- It is crucial to think ahead and plan your course of action.  Schedule wisely.  Don’t put off doing something just because you think it takes too much time, is hard to start or is boring…do it anyway.  Procrastination leads to missed opportunities.
8. Discover your innate power-Find the power within you…your power source and use it to fuel your passion, and release that greatness within you.  Use that power to deal with challenges.
9. Believe-You need to believe in yourself, your company and your products.  Your confidence is contagious.  See yourself as a go-getter with the power to turn a no into a yes.  Be determined to blaze new trails to success.
10. Have the right attitude-How many times have you seen the underdog team or player win over the more talented opponent?  Attitude is everything.  Stay positive and find ways to keep that first day freshness, enthusiasm and determination.  Reflect often on why you are doing what you do.
11. Constantly improve yourself-Stay abreast of what is going on in your field and constantly improve your knowledge and skills. Enroll in classes or access self help tools that will help you improve yourself.
12. Periodically step outside your comfort zone.  Challenge yourself to try something new.  Take a class, make a cold call, go door to door or join a networking group or do a radio interview.  Complacency can be our worst enemy.  There is always room to grow, we just have to keep making the effort.

Of all these tips, passion is the most important.  We can learn the other 11 tips, but passion comes from within.  You cannot fake it for long.

Love what you do and do what you love

References:  Build It Big by Direct Selling Women’s Alliance

12 Tips for Business Success by Bob Reiss