Some things seem so simple. the real issue here is business done right means so many things to so many people. How can any business owner know, from the outset, what is right for them. In truth it’s almost impossible to get everything right first time and then every time.
Sorry to spoil your dream, but it’s true and it’s best you expect this from day one. What’s your next step? Simply to try what you believe will work best and then progress from there.
It all starts with acknowledging that there are things that you don’t. If you want to know what you don’t know straight away skip to the end of this article, otherwise read through as there may be some things written here you can fix by yourselves. Other things may require different sorts of help.
Think of your next goal as part of your journey to build your dream business. Just as in any journey, the longer your journey is the more stops you will need to take. Considering the length of your journey you should take steps to prepare yourself for the journey and the perceived difficulties you may face. Being prepared can reduce the impact of these perceived difficulties happening.
The stops, mentioned above, are there to provide you with opportunity, not necessarily an opportunity to sell, but certainly an opportunity to check things out. Have these perceived difficulties materialised and if so how effective have my preparations been to reduce, or even nullify, their impact?
Never ignore the answers to these questions as they all provide you with things you need to reach your final destination. Learning about how ready your business is to carry on the journey is key and making sure it is in it’s most appropriate state to carry on is a key aspect.
Reaching “the dream” isn’t easy, otherwise business failure rates wouldn’t be around 60% (ONS statistics published March 2023). It’s true that some of these failures are people just trying things out and seeing if their hobby could be turned into a business. Some of these succeed and turn into major businesses, some just run as “lifestyle” business and run alongside their main job. So who are left? Those who want to build the dream from the start.
Their journey is often the most difficult as they do not believe that it is right to “fail”. People are often too hard on themselves, as I’ve already said, you cannot expect to get everything right first time. If we did it would, at least, halve our learning experience. It is as important to know what is wrong for your business as what is right for it.
The key, and this is where people baulk, is to write everything down. Without written evidence nothing exists. This is most evident in the regulatory and accreditation areas of businesses. No finance related policies, or data policies, or cyber policies will look like you don’t care. This is where financial penalties from governing bodies often climb expotentially.
Having written evidence in, or for, a process in your business is an example of walking a mile. If a mile is the total length of your journey, your business is not going to get very far. After all, as implied in this example, you’ll only have one thing written down. A journey to my nearest shopping centre is 3 miles and I can even walk there is I feel in the mood to. What I experience by walking is far greater than if I went in a car, or by public transport. I hear more, see more, smell more, experience more of the atmosphere of the journey.
How I experience journeys with my customers can be likened to this picture. They are on a bus which has a circular route to a particular objective. This is because my customer has many things to think about which take them away from the overall direction of the business. I catch up with their journey on the bus as I do particular things the business owner will need to make his journey more enjoyable. This feeding of information makes the journey easier as the journey itself will make more sense with additional information.
So back to the original point, this first journey is three miles and you will have achieved at least three things and you would have reached a desired destination. Your extra mile (going around the shops in this example) will provide you with a few more results and even more insights.
Results and insights need to be recorded as much as policies and procedures. They are your “proof of concept”, so you will need a forum, or process, through which they can be effectively utilised. Without such a structure you are effectively scrambling through the dark without a torch to find your way.
Some people hate this kind of thing with a passion, but that is why I am here as I can create and maintain these sorts of things (running around and catching up with the bus) while you concentrate on doing what you like doing most. What will happen is that the next time you need to make a journey you might need a coach and a few journeys after that an executive car.
Why? well your next journey may be longer but still not to a specific location but you have the ability to ride in more comfort and travel faster to that destination. A few after that may be to a very specific destination that buses and coaches will not get you to very easily so an executive car is appropriate.
What has been written most people find boring. Business owners want to see results, but often don’t know what they don’t know. As a business owner you really do need to fill that knowledge gap, how you do it is, of course, completely up to you.
Also look at What is really meant by Governance? – Eye Bray Limited as it may help answer some questions.
What is in here that you do, or did, not know about? Contact us now to find out more about how we can help. You can book your discovery call by using my calendar link: https://meetings.hubspot.com/eyebrayltd
Otherwise, email using: enquiries@eyebray.com or call me on 020 3026 5600, or 07943 211611
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