Keys to Growth

How do you take moderate growth to beyond strong generating a breakthrough in your business performance? It’s time to check in, are you doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results? Small businesses need to be agile, making changes swiftly, however are you making those adaptions to source a leap in your performance? How do you keep up with the velocity of changes in the world today? Are you making changes tied to your past or looking from a new view to cause a breakthrough in your performance?

I owned convenient stores and gasoline stations. Running my business I spent most of my time handling the day to day issues making small changes to systems and processes to improve my business and my profits. In the spring, we spruced up our property, took on new training initiative and ran spring specials. Very predictable, small changes. I thought that was what I needed to do to adapt, to keep up and to move forward. Was I taking the risks I needed to take? Was I willing to take the risks that I took when I started my business? I had many questions but I did not take the time to answer them. I did not take the time for reinvention. I dressed up the activities each spring to appear to be ahead of the competition but actually I was spending considerable time trying to keep up. My view was really from behind, not a new view.

A new view requires reinvention. When you create a new view, you take new actions. You experience a new level of power, freedom and aliveness in your environment. Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying: “With great risk, comes great reward.”

We have worked with many small business owners and executives. The ability and desire to change was present in all of them. I would say they were addicted to change. Change to keep up, make better, change to grow or fear of change. Change limits you because it’s a comparison to the past. Who they are is what got them where they are and it worked. Now what? The excitement of the first spring quickly was overshadowed by the reality and the pressure of employees, government, operations, finances, the daily shiny objects. The speed of change in the world is increasing, how do we shift from keeping up to reinvention and really getting ahead of the game? We have seen from the many businesses we have worked with that keeping up, doing what you have done in the past keeps you stuck in the past. Stuck not keeping up with the velocity of change in business in the world where your business exists. What would make a difference?

Reinvention!

Jefferson really understood. In order to thrive, you have to reinvent yourself. He transformed 13 colonies into one body, the United States of America. Out of a declaration, a new world was born. Some examples of people who have taken on reinvention like Jefferson out of a declaration and have reinvented themselves. An owner/publisher of a marketing company, created a magazine that inspires and empowers women making a difference in the lives of many. A retail store that was meeting a 25 percent sales goal for the year and in the last two months exceeded it by 75 percent. A mental health therapist that doubled her sales after 6 months. A healthcare professional honored by the queen of England as a man who makes a difference.

Is it your time for reinvention? What breakthrough in your performance would make a difference for you? If not now, when? If not you, who?