You don't want to just get by in business, you want to get ahead. You don't want to settle for career mediocrity, you want to strive for greatness. You don't want to get lost in the crowd, you want to stand out and lead the charge in the market. Pushing the limits of your professional potential isn't easy, but it will be worth it. Here are some of my suggestions for achieving greater success in business:
1) Work Smarter, Not Harder
While work ethic is crucial to your success, you need to make sure that you are also making intelligent decisions that improve your efficiency. Continue to educate yourself, follow industry trends, and see what works (and doesn't work) for your peers. Utilize the strategies that have been proven to work and avoid the tactics of failed enterprises. Prioritize your duties and get organized. Automate or delegate if needed. If it is in your best interest or will help your bottom line, outsource certain business functions.
2) Be The Best At What You Do
Pretty obvious and much easier said than done of course. But strive to become highly sought after and indispensable by being the absolute best option for your clients and employer. Learn more about your industry than anyone else and practice what you preach. Continuously create value for your clients or employer and guarantee results. Build a reputation of getting things done and doing high quality work. Be a perfectionist.3) Work Hard & Be Persistent
Nothing happens overnight in business and nothing is easy. An "overnight success" is years or decades in the making. You have to start small, be smart, pay your dues, outwork your competitors, innovate, be resourceful, and stay hungry. Don't quit if you hit obstacles or dead ends. And sometimes you have to make sacrifices to reach your goals.
4) Be On The Lookout For New Opportunities
Be the opportunist! This is critical for "getting your foot in the door" or "getting your big break". Always pay attention for an unfulfilled need in the market. Take on those extra assignments or enroll in beneficial educational programs. Invest in promising companies and extraordinary people. Make connections with new people and find out what you can do to help them. Stay alert and be ready to move when opportunity knocks. 5) Stay Ahead Of The Curve
What areas of your industry are growing and which parts are falling by the wayside? Are you aligning your efforts and abilities with promising business sectors? What needs do your clients or employers have that are being unmet? Take a look at projections made by industry experts and make your own judgement as well. Make sure that your value will grow over time and your skills or position don't become obsolete.
6) Find Your Niche and Build Your Brand
This might be the most important lesson of all. You absolutely must stand out from the pack and make yourself memorable. Don't blend in with the crowd and don't offer generic cookie-cutter services. You're better than that! When it comes to marketing, make sure you build a bold new brand and not something old and bland!7) Get The Job Done. No Excuses.
If you really want to be successful you'll need to ditch the excuses. Roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and put in the work required to achieve the objective. Make It Happen! If it takes a thousand hours then so be it. Nobody wants to hear about the reasons why you couldn't do something, why a task was difficult, or factors preventing you from accomplishing the goal. Don't use the phrases "could have", "should have", "would have", or "I can't". You must be a problem solver and be resourceful in business.
Those are just some of my experiences and general advice to keep your career or business path more promising and productive. Other strategies or perspectives can certainly work for you, but I'm sure you can relate to at least a few of these suggestions. Some of these tips are really just getting back to basics, but the basics are crucial. Now go out there and take your business or career to the next level! Don't let anything stop you.
I hope you enjoyed this article about some simple but powerful recommendations that can help you get ahead and succeed in business and beyond.
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Best Of Luck In Business To You All!
Published by Michael J. Schiemer
Owner of Bootstrap Business
Marketing - Media - Money - Motivation
Digital Marketing | SEO | Social Media
Mike Schiemer Builds Better Business
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