REAL-TIME MIND SET

“In the emerging real-time business environment, size is no longer a decisive advantage. Speed and agility win the moment.”

We are fortunate to live in a time where instant communications are the norm. Your blogs can get your ideas to the market place now. Social media sites such as Twitter allow you to communicate with your customers immediately.

As good as these tools are and the opportunities they present to small business, there is a problem. Many small business owners take the cautious and careful approach; they always wait and see. Sometimes what is being presented may seem too good to be true; other times, they wait for someone else to go first.

Survival and growth requires taking action now and then having the discipline to be consistent in your outreach efforts. When something happens in your industry, relay that information to all your contacts ASAP. Real-Time means getting the message out now, to the greatest number of people possible.

The second part of this equation is the ability to recognize opportunities when they come your way. They can be disguised in many forms: a phone call, an e-mail or even a sales person calling on you. It may be a new book or a class session or someone wanting to share their story. It is always better to err on the side of possible success, then to ignore a “knock on your door.”

In other words, Real-Time means taking action now! It means using all the tools available to you on a daily basis. It means taking a risk which may take the form of your time or an investment in your future. Too much planning has been the downfall of many small business ventures.

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Tips & Advice by Nick Petra, CFP – Founder of Strategic Duck and BizQuack