How To Grow Your Business In The Marketplace Of The New Millennium ©

The “old ways” of doing business have been on the way out for years. Yet, training programs and consultants continue to do things the way they’ve always been done. Maybe they’re stuck in the past. Maybe they’re blind to the facts. Or maybe they just don’t want to change. Whatever their reason for failing to deliver practical, real-world tools and systems that support your entrepreneurial growth, I can assure you that it’s rooted in the fact that these so-called experts don’t recognize that there’s a new business paradigm that has emerged — one that’s being defined by small-business owners.(As big and dominant as they were, dinosaurs are no longer with us. I wonder if dinosaurs ever thought they’d become extinct.) For far too long, “big business” has received way too much attention from the media, educational institutions, and training companies. According to data compiled by the SBA, small businesses employ more than 50% of the nation’s nearly 111-million employees, and a staggering 99.7% of the businesses in the US are classified by the SBA as “Small.” Yet, the vast majority of trainings, workshops, and educational programs meant to help you grow your business still remain focused on the traditional big-business “sheep-herding” model — with all its rigid idea-smashing, momentum-crushing baggage. As a business owner, if you want to win big in this Marketplace of the New Millennium, you’ll need to attract, retain, and build relationships with your clients in a brand new way. But to do that, you need a better way to grow and optimize your business than how the “old guard” would have you think. As an entrepreneur, you need an effective, yet flexible, approach to growth using YOUR system as THE system — not the big-business “sheep-herding” model. Here’s what I mean …Traditional education, the average consultant, and most business development gurus all tout a highly regimented approach to growing a classical “top down” business. Like a massive ship steaming toward an iceberg, they find it nearly impossible to change course and adapt to the fast, flexible structure of today’s small businesses. And much like the Titanic, they have the challenge of momentum, the ego of “expert” leadership, and tainted judgment about profitability because THEIR model for making money doesn’t match what really works for the average small-business owner.Still, if I were to profess that I had the cure for the diseased, business growth solutions of the past, that new cure itself would be a disease because it forces your business reality into yet another mold.In the same way that you cannot get a piece of paper to wrap and shape water, growing your own business as efficiently as possible can never be made to totally conform to any one system. However, without any structure, you can’t achieve optimal levels of success. You’ll experience decreased follow-through, resulting in subpar levels of performance, profits, and personal fulfillment. The balance between the two is what I meant when I said, “using YOUR System as THE System.” Here are three simple steps you can use to begin creating your own system for growth, and how you can prepare yourself to profit from the marketplace of the new millennium:Step 1. Gain a thorough understanding of your own “Natural Style.” (This is a combination of your unique personality, passions, experience and skills/abilities.) By doing this you’ll be equipped to bend and mold proven (but generic) success strategies to suit you and your business more quickly … and with much less painful trial and error!Step 2. Research and gather the proven success strategies and time-tested techniques that directly apply to your business or industry. (There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so look to others in your industry who have already made it big.) Step 3. Finally, you’ll want to practice the principle of “Xponential Growth” in your business. This is a proven process of intentionally planning for, and then making, small incremental improvements in multiple areas of your business. When you consistently repeat this step, your business will grow on a daily basis, almost indiscernibly. Yet, when analyzed over an extended period of time, you will have achieved Xponential growth in astounding proportions! When you work together with your business coach and a peer group of successful business owners to consistently follow through on these steps – you will accelerate this entire process even further. With these high-leverage resources, you’ll experience growth that’s rapid and flexible, while being consistent and focused. © Copyright 1999-2004 by RPM Success Group ® www.rpmsuccess.com, All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the express written consent of RPM Success Group ® is prohibited. Call RPM Success Group toll free at 888-334-8151 for reprint permissions, or by email editor@rpmsuccess.com.