Today I found a short and sweet post by Seth Godin. It is so short that I took the liberty of posting the whole post here. But I do suggest that when you are done reading my post that you hope on over to Seth’s Blog and take a look around. He writes an interesting blog with a lot of good information.
So here is Seth’s post from back in November:
Small Business Success
By Seth Godin
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.
That’s all. So much said in so few words. Of course, I can’t just leave it at that!
If most people were to write 3 tips on small business success, I don’t think they would pick these three things to write about. I know I would probably write about having a business plan, making sure you have enough money, finding good mentors, that type of thing. But Seth points out 3 tips that can really make a difference in a business’s success.
First, know when to cut your losses and move on. We have all had great ideas that turned out not to be so great. But it is so hard to give up on them. After all doesn’t the old saying go.. winners never quit and quitters never win. How about, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. But sometimes it does make sense to quit. Even the best plans can fall short when put into action. A successful business person will know when it is time to give up on an idea and move on to the next thing.
Second, do the right thing, even when it costs you money in the short run. I can’t add much to this. Do the right thing, even if…. Even if it will cost you money, even if no one will ever know, even if it is hard. Just do the right thing.
And last but not least, believe in other people so you don’t try to do everything yourself. This is the big one for me. I want to be in control and I want to do it all myself. But I have found that I save myself time and money when I bring in other people. Graphic design is a great example. I have the software and a little bit of knowledge and in a few hours I can make a so-so graphic. But my friend Bob can turn out a killer banner that is 100 times better than anything I can do, and it will take just a few minutes. You can’t be an expert in everything. Find people to fill in your gaps and trust them to do a good job.
What do you think? What are your favorite business success tips?
Interesting recap and I like your twist to it. The challenge is to know when you have found useful allies. Some are mercenary and out to use you. Some are deceitful. Another issue is would writers’ block, for instance be a time to cut it and leave? These guidelines are very easy to put down, but confess how much of it do you follow?
Mcneris: Blogging for success’s last blog post..22 Must have Firefox add-ons for Bloggers (Blogging tip 7 of 22)
Great points. But I didn’t say those were easy tips! Just short. Knowing when to give up on a project, and when to trust someone else are not easy. I have been burned by people I’ve trusted to help me. I’ve also had excellent results when I just tell people what I want and let them run with it.
But these are all tips that I have used successfully in my own (offline) business.
Great post. Definietly it really hurts when you have spent a lot of investing money in something that doesn’t work and it’s hard to quit. Sometimes it’s impossible to quit knowing that you have all your money tied up in a project.