Digging deeper; what is at the core of a business that assures success?
We have found over the years, working with small businesses around the world, that various owners have different opinions about what powers a successful business.
To be sure, there is no shortage of pride and stubbornness among business owners. However, those character traits can be the determining factors between success and failure.
Out of the Mouths of Owners:
- Some owners tell the story of how they inherited, from family, the business in which they grew up. Consequently, attributing their business success to the simple fact they just kept a successful business, successful.
- Other business owners share how working as a salesperson, technician, or manager in a certain industry prepared them for business ownership. In this way, they made the decision to buy or start their own company in the same or similar industry. Bottom line here is, they attribute the power for their success to knowledge.
- Then there are those true entrepreneurs who seeing a need in the world, create a product or service and launch a startup business. Not surprisingly, they consider their self-starter, can-do-it spirit as the power behind their business success.
- Interestingly, there are a few business owners, when asked what is behind their success, without hesitation they will point toward the sky. Indicating, they attribute their business success to a higher power. The power of faith in God!
- The Rare Birds of Business ownership are those who have learned and harnessed the power of systematic operations. Very rare indeed! Almost non-existent outside of well-established franchises.
Rare Birds of Successful Business
Watching and learning from these various types of business owners has been an exciting journey over the years.
Unfortunately, we must report, no matter how a business started, or what an owner attributes to their business success, they ALL have one thing in common. They ALL have varying degrees of chaos, causing them much frustration.
Yep, even those businesses giving credit to God for their success have chaos!
How do I know?
That was me, giving God credit, not realizing that God is NOT the author of confusion; nor does He value a chaotically operated business. But, that’s a grace story for another platform.
That said, back to those RARE BIRDS of business…
These rare-bird owners will proudly share HOW and WHY they attribute their success to the power of systems. It’s simple; they have a business that runs without them having to be onsite and neck-deep in daily operations. Wouldn’t you love that as a business owner?
Fact is that these out-of-the-ordinary owners systemized a SMALL commonly known business into a world class business; having systemized just ONE location until it ran like a FINE SWISS WATCH.
Reaching that level of systemized operation, they then launched out into deeper waters, opening multiple locations, which added to their success.
Similarly, great systems are what powers success for Starbucks, McDonalds, Dutch Brothers Coffee, and other large and small franchised businesses.
To be clear, the goal of operating a small business should be one that offers EXTREME quality of product and service. Not just cloning multiple businesses.
But, make NO mistake, the only way to achieve GREAT quality and service is by implementing a systematic methodology that takes control over chaos.
To be fair, delivering quality without systemizing is possible. If a business remains extremely small—like one or two people—the owner oversees all work by wearing every hat in the business.
However, if your plan is TO GROW, there’s one proven way to success—SYSTEMIZE!
But did I mention? Great system work!