What makes a business owner successful? Therein lies the million-dollar question, doesn’t it? If being a good business owner was something you could bottle and sell, well, that would remove most of the issues facing businesses of all sizes in the current climate.
Sadly, an Eau de Success isn’t something that is bottled, and any entrepreneur worth their salt will tell you that getting from where they started to where they are now wasn’t easy, nor was it instant. And if you’re truly honest with yourself, you likely wouldn’t want it to be.
Creating your future, building your dreams, making a success of your next venture, and following successful business owners before you, however, isn’t unattainable, that is, if you care to look deeper into things. Knowing what does and doesn’t make a good business owner will help you to ensure that you are doing the right things each and every day.
Read on to discover what some of these are.
They’re Passionate
A good business owner and indeed a successful one is a person who is passionate about what they do. They want to do what they do, they enjoy the work, and running the company is something they are excited about. While the small details of running a business won’t be the most exciting, the industry they are in, the products or services they sell, and how they do what they do hold interest and value to them, meaning they can inject their passion into every decision they make and action they take. If you don’t feel this way, then it might be time to head back to the drawing board.
They Know The Market and Their Customers
To be successful, you need to have your finger on the pulse of the market and be able to adapt to cater to trends in consumer habits, emerging technology, and new approaches and thinking in your sector. It’s not good to simply continue to do something simply because it’s always been done this way. You need to know what the future holds, how it looks for your business, and what changes you might expect in the future so you can prepare for it.
But not only do you need to know market changes, but you should also know your customers intimately. Who are they, and what are their pain points? What is it they’re looking for from you, and what can you be doing to support the relationship? The customer isn’t always right, but they are king, and keeping this in your methodology and brand values will enable you to treat them how they expect to be treated to ensure ongoing custom.
Research customer trends, stay on top of changes in the market, and always be ready to reposition yourself as needed. Every successful business owner will tell you that this is integral for longevity in any industry.
They Were Ready To Do What It Takes
Now, this is not advocating for a poor work-life balance, but those who have hit the big time will tell you that sacrifices were and had to be made. This isn’t what you might want to hear, but it’s the ugly truth of getting a business up off the ground. It will take blood, sweat, tears, and a lack of downtime.
It won’t be easy; you will likely need to make some tough decisions, and you might not be at peace with all of them. But by keeping your eye on the prize and doing what needs to be done to get your business to the point where it can be considered a success, you will find that you have given yourself the best possible start to your career.
They Knew Their Worth and Their Employee’s Worth
A successful business and a good owner will know their worth and that of any employees they have, too. If you rely on people to run operations, then you need to appreciate what they do and the power they have. Far from being people you employ to carry out menial tasks, employees are instrumental in your success, and the right employees can elevate your business.
Knowing this, being aware of what they do for you and the business, and treating them with this in mind means you can propel your business and your reputation and ensure that your employees are with you for the long haul and you don’t have revolving door of employees which will be detrimental to what you are trying to build.
Don’t forget to apply this thinking to yourself, too. Know your will, believe in your abilities, and stick to your guns when it comes to doing what you think is right for you and your business.
They Bring Something To The Table
The difference between a mediocre business person and a successful one is what they bring to the table. What can you offer others? Be it to your customers, suppliers, other businesses, or the industry. Know what it is you offer, why you offer it, and what value this holds.
Be the person who values relationships however they come. Always be willing to step up. Focus on creating mutually beneficial and positive relationships, and the connections you make will serve you well throughout your career. To make your company recognized for all the right reasons, you need to give out what you want to receive, and any business owner who has made it will tell you that some of that success was down to the relationships they built and the connections they made.
They Appreciate Their Competitors
Do they really though? While you obviously don’t want to be handing all of your business over to your competitors, successful business owners will recognize the part competitors play in their success and always be aware of the impact they have on their decisions going forward.
You see, your competitors will give you a benchmark of what you need to achieve and how you need to perform to match or even exceed what they do. It will push you to be the best you can be, keep innovating, move forward, solve issues, and more. They don’t think of them as the enemy; you might find most business owners are friends despite being in direct competition.
This is because you are fighting the same fight, walking the same path, which can give you support and strength when you need it the most. So, instead of alienating your competitors and making them the enemy, embrace what they do, use their success to propel your own success, and keep pushing you.
They’re Organised
Running a business isn’t easy, even for those experienced in starting new ventures. Being organized, having checklists, ticking the boxes. However, if you want to address it, you need to do it. You should have a handle on everything happening in your business and be methodically approaching your working day.
As soon as one thing slips, the other blocks will tumble after them, and you will be fighting fires trying to regain control. You need to find an organizational method that works for you and enables you to stay on top of everything that needs to be taken care of.
You need to track the tasks that need to be done each day. You need to implement a scale of importance and follow through with the steps that will keep you on top of everything. Successful business owners know what is going on; they can find what they need easily and are able to retain this throughout their careers.
They Have An Evolving Business Plan and Exit Strategy
Your business plan isn’t something you create; look at once, and then file away. To truly make your business go from strength to strength, you need to keep referring back to it, tweaking it as you evolve and the industry changes, looking for new opportunities to add in, and developing it as you go. This will help you stay focused and on the right track and not get lost or stuck doing something that isn’t working.
Success requires you to be the best, which means always looking for a way forward despite the challenges you might be facing. But it also means that you know that it’s time to call it quits, move on, or simply try your hand at something else.
An Exit Strategy is always part of a successful business owner’s game plan. They will know what moving on looks like and how to wind down their business or move on, leaving it in someone else’s capable hands.
Becoming a successful business owner means different things to different people. However, how you make things a success looks the same regardless of what you do, your industry, and your long-term plans. By paying attention to what you do and how you do it and recognizing the role others will play in your success or downfall, you can strive for greatness in all areas of your business and avoid some of the many pitfalls facing new business owners to help you on the way to success.
