Taking the Right Action in Your Business

There are so many different things that business owners are told they need in order to run their businesses.  When we talk about bringing the business online, the list seems to become even longer.  When you look at this list, you start trying to do what everyone tells you to do, but then something happens that you didn’t expect.  You become paralyzed and afraid to take action.  It’s not that you have no idea of what you want to do in your business, instead it’s that you have become completely overwhelmed by the amount of information coming your way and you haven’t taken the time to stop and think about what needs to happen to make your business a success.  This is why it’s important for you to decide to be proactive in your business, by taking the right action.

What you really need in your business

Let’s take a moment to, first, address the elephant in the room.  You need specific things to have a business.  Some of these things are on a very basic level, while others can be a bit more complex, but the truth is that none of them should become so complicated that you can’t run your business.

So, what are those things that you, absolutely, must have in your business?

For one, you must have a product or service to sell.  This is the beginning of it all.  There has to be something that you are going to offer those people that come to you.  If you don’t have this, then you are in the very beginning stages of starting a business.  That stage is the idea stage.

There is nothing wrong with being in this stage.  It means that you’ll need to spend some time brainstorming what you want to offer and how you want to provide that offer to you customers.

Which leads to the next point.  If you have a business, then you need to have an audience to sell your product or service to.  Without this, you are kinda in the discovery stage of your business.  You are trying to discover who you want to help and how you want to help them.  It’s like you know that you want a business and you are becoming more sure about what you want to offer, but you don’t just want to think that if you build it, they will come.  This is the dream, right?!  Still, it isn’t always the reality.  If you use the right tools, you can attract your audience, but you have to know what you what you want to say to them and how to get them to find you.  That’s a completely different conversation, but for now, I just want you to keep thinking about what you really need to run your business.

Like I said earlier, somethings are a necessity and others are going to be a complimentary piece to make your business better.

So…there is something that some small business owners don’t think about, especially when they are building their businesses online.  In order to really have a business, you have to have a presence that enables your audience to find you, to contact you, and to…wait for it…to buy from you.

Yes!  I said it.  You have to have something for your audience to buy and then you actually have to sell it.  Many business owners hate sales, but if you don’t make sales, you don’t have a business…you have a hobby.  That’s one of the key elements of having a business.  You have to begin the exchange of currency from the hand of your buyer to you, the seller.  If after a certain amount of time, you fail to make a profit, then legally, your business could be considered a hobby.

This means that you now have four primary things that you must have in order to run a business.  You need your product or service to offer, audience to sell to, a presence, so they know you exist, and a way to make the sale and fulfill the exchange of currency, with the delivery of the product or service.  This process should become easily repeatable, meaning that you know how you are going to gain more clients, make more money, create/deliver your product/service, and remain visible, so they know you exist and are still open for business.  From this point, you need to make sure that your business is legally compliant, in accordance with the law and able to take care of your financial obligations.

Which leads to our next point.  If you are going to run a business, you need to have a way to organize and structure your business from the inside out.  Sometimes business owners get so excited about running the business.  They figure out what to sell, who to sell it to, how to make the money, stay present, and then they just keep that cycle up, forgetting about the need to actually organize and structure the business.  This is very normal.  It’s isn’t until tax time comes that business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the like, start thinking about adding structure to the business.

Hint…this isn’t the time to do it.  It is actually one for the first things that you should do in your business, but I understand.  Sometimes you aren’t sure if this is going to work, so you’re just trying your hand at it.  Still, once you learn about it, it’s important that you start taking action.

Taking the first step

That’s what we’re really talking about right?!

It’s simple.  Everything that you are being taught, shown, and that’s being discussed has to do with these key elements of running a business.  They fall into one of these categories, so there is something that I want you to do.

I want you to take a deep breath.  Take a step back for a moment and realize that running your business will be as complicated or simplistic, as you want and allow it to be.

That’s it!  From now on, ask yourself if the action that you are taking, person you are hiring, service or product you are purchasing, or system you are setting up will help you accomplish one of these basic goals in your business.

How to determine the right action

Now that you can see things for what they really are, it is your job to determine what action needs to be taken in your business.  Yes, you should seek the assistance of a coach, consultant, and expert in the field, but don’t forget that you are the owner and CEO of your business.  Your opinions and thoughts count.  You might not have all of the answers, but this dream is yours.

I’m saying this because I know that by listening to everyone, you can begin to allow your voice to shrink.  You can stop thinking about why you started your business and what you want, because you are following the lead of whomever you’ve hired.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with hiring someone to help you, but I just want you to be confident in knowing that this business is yours.

So, here is how you determine the right action to take.

1. Ask yourself what was working in your business before you got assistance, started listening to or watching that expert, or reading that book.
2. Write down your processes and keep track of your successes in business.
3. Make sure to do continual and frequent evaluations
4. As you apply what you are learning, make sure to continue implementing what works, by building out a functional system for your business.

What’s the recommendation?

Like I mentioned from the start, there are ways to make a simplified business very complicated.  I know this from personal experience, but I also know that you can forget to add key elements to your business, if you aren’t wise in the actions that you take.

I recommend that you take some time to really look at what is happening in your business.  What do you want to happen over the next six months to a year?  Think about what it’s going to require for you to get to that next place in your business.

One of the tools that I use to help me through the process of brainstorming, structuring, and operational tasks, is Click Up.  It really helps me to add stay on top of my business operations and to focus on what I want to happen in my business.

You have to be able to ask yourself key questions and keep track of your answers.

You need to be able to answer questions like these.  As you change and develop your business, will you be able to have and implement key elements of your business, fully functional, and will it make you profitable?  How do those elements add to the success of your business and are they inline with your business model?

I know we didn’t discuss these things, but this is what you should be thinking about.  You have to make sure that if you are going to be investing in building your business, that your investments don’t over complicate and stagnate your business operations.  You and your business still have to function, in the midst of a transition.  You should still be able to make sales, reach your target audience, maintain your presence, have a marketing system functioning, have organized structure in place ,and fulfill your legal and financial obligations.  If you can’t do these things, while you are pushing to make changes or implement techniques in your business, then you may have lost focus or are on the wrong path.

Either way, it is your responsibility as a business owner to make sure that you are taking the right action steps to run a profitable business that accomplishes your goals and helps you fulfill a purpose in your community.

If you are in need of assistance with this, make sure to reach out to me by scheduling a free consultation.  We can talk about what you need in your business and how I might be able to help you.

Now, go take action!