As I discussed in two prior articles, I was recently talking to Peter, who is one of our small business planning clients and he told me that one of the best thing about his business is that he is happy with his business. As I reflected on his statement I realized that so many business owners across the world do not feel the same way about their small business as does Peter.
As we discussed in the first article on this subject, life is short; therefore it is desirable to operate a business in such a way that makes you happy. So how do you create a small business which will make you happy? In Small Business Planning Involves Setting and Achieving Goals and Finding Profits and Pleasure in Your Small Business we covered the first four of the six key elements that are present in most situations in which business owners are happy with their small business. In summary, the first four key elements are:
1. Identifying and achieving goals for your business that are aligned with your overall Vision for your business
2. Systematizing your business so it is not overly dependent on you personally
3. Creating an enjoyable work environment
4. Generating sufficient profits
Key #5 Seeing your Small Business Demonstrably Improve Your Customer’s Lives
The fifth key element is to see in a demonstrated way, that your product or service improves your customer’s life. One up of the most fulfilling things in life is to see that your product or service makes a difference in your customer’s life. Deep down inside almost all of us obtain great satisfaction by helping others in some way, shape or form. When you see your small business positively impacting your customers and enabling them to reach their goals in life, your business takes on a new dimension of “fun”. The foundation and core purpose of every business is to serve its customers. When you see this happening it becomes a validation of your business and you as a person and if you get positive feedback in the form of written or verbal thank you notes, testimonies and other affirmations, that enjoyment factor is greatly amplified and enhanced.
This fun, enjoyment and satisfaction is multiplied when your employees also see how your small business is positively impacting your customers’ lives. We have all seen how various teams in sports and military situations work together in a better fashion when they can see that together they are making a difference and changing things for the better. It is the same way with your business, and your business almost takes on a contest or game aspect when you start to strategize about how you can improve your customer’s lives even more.
Key #6 Having a Small Business That is Making the World a Better Place
The sixth key element is the gratification, satisfaction and enjoyment that come from making the world a better place. Many, many businesses such as, a cancer research business, a seed company trying to provide more food for mankind or a renewable energy business have unique opportunities to positively impact society. A business does not need to be a large in order to positively impact its environment, for instance you might be a local artist that is beautifying your city and elevating the lives of its citizens, a home remodeler improving the lives of homeowners or a dog training business enriching the lives of dog owners. When a person looks at their small business from an overarching standpoint most businesses will have some benefit to society. As you reflect on how your small business is making the world a better place, the enjoyment that you derive from your business will be increased.
So my challenge is to you to start today with these 6 key small business planning steps to develop your small business so that you can also say “the best thing about my business is that I am happy with my business”.
