I was driving to get my windshield replaced. It drove me crazy to have a rock chip that had split and gone all the way across my windshield. On the way, I saw a truck for a windshield replacement company. They had a cracked windshield!
It was not a marketing ploy, the driver, and I assume the owner, did not see the crack in his own windshield. He was so focused on where he was going that he did not notice something that was damaging his business. Seriously, who would call a windshield replacement company who has a broken windshield?
If you want your business to go further, you need to step away for a moment and look at it from a customer’s perspective. It is hard for business owners to get that ‘outside’ perspective, so you may need to get someone to come in with you and take a reality check. (We would love to help!)
It is kind of like driving your car. Everything feels fine to you. Then, if someone else drives it, they can hear that rattle you have been ignoring, feel that give in the steering that you forgot about and recognize that lag in the gas pedal when you step on it. They can see it because they have not become accustomed to where it is currently. They know where it should be.
When you hit that glass ceiling, where everything is OK, you have to step back. As a business owner, if you want your business to grow, you must grow. OK, is rarely good enough. OK is a place where we have a loss of passion and a loss of our dreams. You can never go further in business if you don’t have passion, dreams and goals.
Three things to do right now for your business if you want to go further:
- Stop: Take a step away from your business. Take a deep breath.
- Look: Look at your business as a whole. Document all of your systems to see where you are right now.
- Listen: Get a mentor, business adviser or business consultant. Let them look over your document and suggest little improvements that will help you go further.
You can only grow your business if you know where you are and where you want to go. If you need help evaluating your business or getting your road map headed in the direction of your goals, give us a call or contact us here.
