Childhood Lessons That Will Improve Your Business

Let's face it, we are all interested in improving our business, reaching and maintaining customers, and earning more money. That's the American way. The question is, in a not-so hot economy and a very competitive marketplace, how do you go about accomplishing those goals? The answer is simpler than you may think: get back to basics and start applying to your business the old adages we all learned as kids. In this article are my top choices for "Words To Live By and Improve Your Business With", in no particular order. Please feel free to comment and add your choices as well.


Do Unto Others As You Would Have Done To You- They don't call it the Golden Rule for nothing. If you make this your mantra, not just in business but in your personal life as well, you will reap the rewards. The key is that you aren't doing it for a pay off, but you are doing it because it is what's right, because it is how everyone wants to be treated. And in the end, there is a pay off...you feel good because you have taken the high road and others feel good because they have been treated well. When people feel good about how they are treated, they will  be loyal to you. Almost all of the other "words to live by" spring from this one sentiment.

If You Can't Say Something Nice, Don't Say Anything At All- Like I said, this follows in the footsteps of our first adage. Nobody wants to hear negative things about themselves, it immediately puts them on the defensive. Don't talk trash about your competition and don't get nasty with a customer who is giving you grief; instead, try to find some kind of positive and shift the focus onto that. Remember, You Get More With Honey Than With Vinegar (also known as Kill Them With Kindness or Never Let Them See You Sweat). Sometimes people need to feel that they have won a small victory and that they got what they "deserved". So let them win and they will be yours.

What Goes Around Comes Around/Instant Karma's Gonna Get You- OK, so I stole the second half of that from John Lennon, but it fits. If you put positives out into the universe, you will get positives in return. If you are sending off negativity and hostility, it will come back to haunt you. Along these lines, we also have You Reap What You Sow and Don't Burn Your Bridges Behind You.

You Don't Get Something For Nothing, You Have To Spend Money To Make Money and If It Looks To Good To Be True, It Probably Is- These go hand in hand  and are pretty self-explanatory. Be cautious when someone wants to recruit you to sell their products and says you will be making $XX a month! You will have financial independence! Be your own boss! While all those things may actually be true, they come at the end of lots of hard work on your part. Nobody is going to hand you a fully established business, complete with customers, inventory, marketing tools, staff, etc. You will need to put your time, effort, money, resources, and creativity into making all those enticing promises happen.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again (aka Practice Makes Perfect or The Best Things In Life Are Worth Working For/Waiting For)- These all follow along with the previous adage, but they put an even stronger focus on the focus on the work factor. Running your own business, no matter how big or how small, takes A LOT of time and effort. If you have put in countless hours, pounded the pavement, made phone calls til your ear is numb, sent emails til you have carpal tunnel, and feel you have nothing to show  for it on your bottom line, hang in there and keep on truckin'. Maybe there is a marketing pitch you haven't tried yet or a customer base you haven't tapped into. Dig deep, be creative, and don't let hard work scare you. It will pay off in the end.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race- This is probably one of the toughest for me to live each day. I'm the kind of person that, once I have a plan in mind, I go full-steam ahead to reach my goals and want it all done yesterday. In this world of instant everything, I think many of us feel the same way and want to see results and see them now! You've got a blog, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, Google Ads, Yahoo ads, Personal Website, Business Website, multiple email addresses and phone numbers (I'm sure I'm leaving something out!). So where are all the customers? Why aren't they beating down your door or flooding your sites? They are out there and you will reach them. It takes time, lots of time. Rome Wasn't Built In A Day ya know. Be patient and keep at it and I know we'll meet at the finish line.

Happy Fourth of July

Just wanted to wish anyone who happened to stop by a very safe and happy Fourth of July! Please come back soon for more blog posts :)