Since my arrival in Canada, 22 years ago, I had a series of successes and failures. In this article, I will share 5 secrets to success in your business.
We all have different characters, personalities, and risk tolerance. So keep that in mind. This is what worked for me at a particular season of my life.
1. Take action
We always have to be taking action, especially if we don’t know where we are going. How would you know for sure if you like or dislike something if all you are doing is research and thinking about it?
I discovered how much I didn’t like formal education by going to university and I discovered how much I like photography, buy buying a camera.
2. Sometimes the market is not interested in your product/service
At one time I tried to be a fee-only financial advisor. I tried hard, for about 4 years. I knew that my service was valuable and that I could help my clients make more money and avoid critical mistakes just by following some of my tips, but it didn’t work out. People are used to the system of hidden financial fees. They don’t know how much they pay for financial service, they don’t want to know, and thus they are not ready to pay in advance for better advice.
I finally gave up and I stopped offering the service.
The moral of the story is that sometimes, the market is not ready for your product/service. It’s not your fault. It just wasn’t meant to be. You should just move on to the next thing.
3. If you believe in your product, selling it will be natural
When I used to have my dance school, I had no problem selling our courses at any opportunity I could get. I always felt that I was doing a favor by suggesting such a great activity. On the other hand, about 18 years ago, I was a commission-based financial advisor. I was supposed to sell high fee mutual funds to individuals who didn’t know any better. Well, I felt dirty and dishonest every time I made a sell and I quit after 9 months.
Don’t be afraid or ashamed to sell a product that you believe in. And of course, don’t sell a product that you don’t believe in.
4. Always continue learning
Every market is in continuous flux. The only thing permanent is change. No matter which industry you are in, there is always change.
You don’t need to be a first-mover when change arrives, but you have to be well informed and you have to move with the times.
When COVID-19 came, those who were already studying and learning how to move their businesses online are, at the very least, they are surviving if not thriving, while those who failed to adapt to the times are suffering or had already succumbed to the pandemic.
In my case, as soon as COVID-19 started, I abandoned my photography business and created a new business building websites. This was only possible because I continued to learn and evolve with the times.
You might even consider taking up training opportunities that arrive. It’s not uncommon for leaders and their employees to attend workshops every now and then to improve skills on various topics. You could brush up on customer service, financial management – the choice is yours; but you should always be looking out for the opportunities that present themselves to you. The more you know, the better you can be at running your business.
5. Be consistent
Make sure you put a little bit of work into your business every day. Whether it is an outreach to present or old clients, improving your technology, creating a better customer experience. There are so many things you can do on a regular basis to bring your business forward.
It’s better to do small continuous improvements over a long period of time than try to make radical changes from one day to the other.
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