HARD WORK ALONE WON’T CUT IT

Yesterday I shared in my blog the necessity of working hard, very hard, on your business in order to succeed.  I really believe that growing a successful small business requires 10 times more work than the founder thought would be needed when the business was started.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised by a call I received from a small business owner that read my blog on the internet. I always welcome comments from anyone that wants to share on a topic. She introduced herself and said:” I work very hard in my business, I put in at least 10 hour days and work six days a week, but I have achieved only a survival status in two years.”

After a 45 minute visit I realized that I failed to mention the other half of the secret and that is a focused, well developed action plan with accountability steps. Hard work will only bring success if it is focused, gathers traction, and is constantly validated.

My caller was working hard but her direction changed every time she met someone new that had a different suggestion. She knew her target market but had no idea as how to best communicate with them. She had no specific goal, other than to pay her bills every month.

I complimented her on her hard work; surviving in a new business for over two years told me that she was dedicated to her business and her call showed me that she was willing to learn.

In our brief 45 minute session we developed a vision for her business, spoke about her target market and set up a focused, 2 pronged attack with weekly goals and traction checks. I invited her to call me back in 30 days and to give me a report on her progress. Of equal importance is the time factor; her current customers needed to be kept happy and she had to devote a minimum of 3 hours a day on her new marketing program.

I do believe that I will receive a positive call in 30 days, perhaps earlier, and that I have made a new friend. The 45 second reading time of our daily small business blogs can bring some long lasting, positive results. As always, calls and e-mails are always welcome and answered.