Get Your Ducks in the Water!

I give away rubber ducks at business shows as a way for people to remember me. I also have several signs that encourage people to get their ducks in a row. Getting those ducks in a row is not what business is all about. Yes, it’s important to get them “organized” but organized ducks sitting on your shelf are not going to be of any help in growing your business.

Success in small business requires those ducks to get into the water and do what they are supposed to do. Let’s retrace our steps. There are a total of 8 ducks that have to be put in a row. All eight of them are necessary for business growth and all of them have to get into the water.

The eight business ducks I am referring to are follows:

1. Education Duck: learning is an ongoing part of growing a business. You learn from teachers, books, experience, mistakes, webinars, your competition, your support group and hundreds of other sources. The key is to always keep an open mind; you will never know it all.
2. The business start duck: a business must always be “starting”. The fundamentals and the enthusiasm that got the business started must never go away. Review the building block needed to start a business and use them to keep your business in a startup mode.
3. The finance duck: funds are often in short supply for a new business as well as for established businesses.  Risk is calculated when a business is started and all the “ideal” start up cash is not always available.  The finance duck is responsible for keeping accurate books and being responsible in your spending.
4. Marketing duck: this duck is the biggest and the one that needs the most strength to swim into the competitive market place. Because of his size he needs the most attention and time devoted to his swimming.
5. The management duck: this duck is really the brains behind the business. He has to know where everything is and how all the other parts work together.  He understands the operational systems, the products and services that are being offered, the most efficient delivery system and all the financial aspects of running the business.
6. The technology duck: there is no way around it. Technology is here to stay and will continuously change and challenge small business. This includes staying up to date with your business software and hardware (computer, tablets, smart phones and the next new thing that is on the horizon).
7. The daily shot of adrenalin duck: this is where the business owner ( and others) get a two minute message that they can think about during the day and perhaps implement a new idea.
8. The question and answer duck: this duck provides expert answers to business related questions. Find a place to get your business questions answered; there is always a source to help. Unanswered questions can grow into major issues.

Don’t just get your feet wet, jump in all the way.

Excellence is the gradual results of always striving to do better.

Pat Riley