Creating a successful business is both simple and challenging. The simple part involves creating a step-by-step process for everything that you do. The challenging part involves knowing the essential elements that should be included in that process. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that creating a successful business is simple and something that anyone can do, if they are willing to get and give help. Sometimes getting help comes in the form of training with a mentor, coach, or consultant or outsourcing tasks you don’t know how to do. Giving help may include serving in a leadership role for professional groups or local chambers. Either way, at some point in your entrepreneurial journey you will find it necessary to get and give help of some sort.

Having a successful business also means that you will make mistakes. I know that I’ve made my share of mistakes, and you probably have too.  However, I have not allowed those mistakes to stop me from being successful.  Learning from my mistakes has taught me priceless lessons I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

History shows that as long as you stay focused on your goals and do the right things consistently, you can create your vision of a successful business.

Here are four simple keys that you can use to create more success in your business NOW:

  • Get clear – It is important to be crystal clear on what business success means to YOU. Don’t try to follow someone else’s vision of success. If you do, you will be very disappointed. If your goal is to make $50K a year, that’s fine. If your goal is to be a millionaire that’s fine too. Write down in your journal what income you desire to make and be clear on how you are going to get there.

Break that annual goal down into quarterly goals that will make it a reality. How many clients will you need to hit that number? What products or services will generate the amount of revenue needed to hit that number? How much time and effort must you spend on your business in order to produce those results?  Getting clear will give you focus, eliminate or minimize distractions and say no to opportunities that are not right for you. Getting clear creates time, money and effort to dedicate to what is important to you.

  • Get organized – Organization is critical to success. Many people claim to work on getting organized because we all know that organization is important. Actually getting there, however, is another story.

    If your goal is to be more successful in business, my suggestion is to start organizing your marketing efforts in a plan. Your plan must include an outline of what you want to accomplish on a monthly basis so you can break down those goals into easy tasks and action steps.  Take inventory of your resources. Do you already have everything you need to get started? Organize your time and make to-do lists including marketing tasks.

  • Get A Plan – A lot of people think they can become successful without a business plan or a marketing plan. I am not one of those people. I believe if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Create a business plan by simply drafting a short two page version to get started. Your business plan should include things like, vision and mission statements, marketing, finance, operations, etc. Next, get a marketing plan. Don’t get stuck doing random acts of marketing. Random marketing efforts, yield random business success. Your marketing plan should include defining your brand and your target market as well as how you plan to reach your target audience. Remember the best marketing plans are tailored specifically for your business and relative to your niche or industry.

 

  • Be consistent – This is a tough area. Many entrepreneurs lose in this area because they are consistently inconsistent. It’s very easy to neglect marketing until you need to increase your income. However, to avoid the feast or famine syndrome and maintain a steady income, you need a steady stream of new leads and new customers. This can only be accomplished using consistent marketing.

    In order to stay consistent, you must focus. Focus on the best marketing strategies for your business. Concentrate on those strategies and do them consistently. Consistency builds the “know, like and trust” factor for you and your business. Consistency gives you credibility and helps to establish strong relationships. It makes it easier for people to buy your products or services. Here’s a tip: do not try to tackle video marketing, blogging, all major social media platforms, speaking, networking, direct mail, print advertising and email marketing ALL at one time. You will become frustrated and get nothing done. Pick a few strategies, create a system for each and consistently work that system.

With these four keys, you can create the vision of success for your business starting today. Once you define your vision for a successful business, get clear, organized, identify the right resources, create a consistent business plan and marketing plan, you’ll be able to increase your income and experience more freedom to live the life you love.

 

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This article is written by Lori A. Manns. Want to use this article for your website, blog or newsletter? No problem. Here’s what you must include: Lori A. Manns, CEO of Quality Media Consultant Group your marketing and sales success mentor, and founder of Marketing For Trailblazers TM & ABC’s of Successful Sponsorship Sales System;TM  that shows you how to get more sponsors and sales for your business, guaranteed. To purchase consulting  services on marketing, advertising or sales and, learn how to increase your revenue and grow your business; please visit the programs page @ www.qualitymediaconsultants.com.