Have you Let Your Business Become Complacent?

I love being in business for myself. Everyone that knows me knows that I like being in some control of my destiny, not saying it is easy but at least is built on effort. I like enjoy the process of dreaming of new possible heights that could be reached with future success. There is also the element of failure that comes with any venture and if not taken seriously will bring a business to a grounding halt. I am a firm believer in the “What if” theory that if you put in the effort the success will follow. For the most part that theory remains true as long as the idea was sound to begin with and the advice received along the way was accurate. So my advice to new entrepreneurs is to usually go for it!

So what makes a business move forward and become successful? Hard work is one but when you start a business you will be in growth mode for a long time. If you are like me or some of my colleagues then you may be in growth mode your whole career and that is a good thing. Complacency can kill any job, business, or corporation. It can affect levels from top to bottom and turn a corporate culture on its head, so how do you change the focus from complacency to growth.

First try to think of the excitement level that got you into business to begin with. Remember when you started and couldn’t sleep because you were too excited. You need to get back to that by taking a good hard look at your business. That includes your goals for the next year as well as your operation. What can be improved in your operation to make it operate more efficiently? What has become the operational standard that should not happen at all? I recently spoke with a client of mine about his business as an Owner Operator, he was having trouble getting the income he required due to downtime and scheduling by the company. He has two choices to solve that problem, he can accept the time management issue as a way of life and not do anything about it, or he can make an appointment with management of the company to try and rectify the situation. With equipment, money, and time invested the latter option would be preferred in my book. Many business owners just accept it as the way of life however and don’t do anything as it eats away at their bottom line.

The point is that the success of your business is your responsibility as a business owner. If something isn’t working it is up to you to find a solution. Always keep in growth mode and look to improve your business situation. Your success depends on it!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant from Southern Ontario Canada. He helps Owner Operators and entrepreneurs run successful businesses. To learn more information please visit his website at www.outridge.ca