Small business success

[duncan drennan]

Here are Seth Godin's three tips for small business success.

Three things you need:
1) the ability to abandon a plan when it doesn't work,
2) the confidence to do the right thing even when it costs you money in the short run, and
3) enough belief in other people that you don't try to do everything yourself.

From Seth Godin's blog

I would reckon that over the last three months I can attest to (1) and (2). I still need to work more on getting (3) right.

[bullfrog]

1 and 2 are quite easy for me as well. We are all just human and can't always get it right 100% the first time around, no matter how smart we are or how much experience we have.

3 is the really hard part for me too. Once the work gets too much it can be a bit of a problem so I realize I'll have to improve on it a lot.

[Dave A]

An inability to delegate, particularly in the area of giving away responsibility, has been what has kept small businesses small since the dawn of commerce.

As a business owner, the first question you should ask whenever you're faced with a task is "Who can I give this job to?"

[Vincent]

First – just do it! Then – do it right. Finally – go for excellence. Mervyn Niland Originator of Flight Hand Cleaner.

1 & 2 I can work with, it's number 3 that pulls me down, always trying to do all the work myself - big fault.

Has anyone read the E-myth? Michael Gerber essentially says the same as Dave, "Who can I give this job to?" - if you want your business to grow delegate, delegate...

[Dave A]

First – just do it! Then – do it right. Finally – go for excellence. Mervyn Niland Originator of Flight Hand Cleaner.

I just love that!

[Debbiedle]

I concurr - delegate, challenge yourself!

[duncan drennan]

I think for me the problem is not so much the delegating, but finding people that I really believe in. There are certainly people that I would put the world of trust in, but so far, they have been few and far between (and usually unavailable ).

Once you've got the right people, it is easy to delegate. Finding them is the big problem.

[Dave A]

Or you can make them

You need the right raw materials and a healthy dose of patience, but it is possible.