Sometimes, Business Growth Requires You to Be a Bit Uncomfortable

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, largely because there’s a lot that can pop up and cause problems that need to be addressed. Let’s discuss how successful business owners rally through tough times to help attain this kind of success.

Starting a business is a huge risk, which pretty much always means that there’s a lot of hope involved. Entrepreneurs move forward under the assumption that they can take something in the world and make it better or reinvent it entirely. As a result, there is the impression that a business owner will need to push their boundaries, or fail.

Of course, there’s taking risks, and then there’s being foolhardy. It’s all about balancing between playing it safe, and putting a little bit out on the line. Let’s discuss a few ways that you can make it easier to step out of your comfort zone a little.

Acquire Information

If you’re going to accomplish any of the goals you set for yourself and your business, you're going to need data. How does your business work? How is payroll handled? How are your business’ taxes paid? What are your acquisition and inventorying processes? Are you in a good relationship with the vendors you rely on? Are you in compliance with any and all applicable regulations?

The list of things you need to know to successfully open and operate a business, as they say, goes on and on.

Plus, this all gets more complicated as your business grows. Knowledge is indeed power, so make sure you are as knowledgeable about your business as possible.

Accept the Responsibilities of Your Role

While it would certainly be nice to just wake up one morning to find yourself the CEO of the most successful, expansive, and profitable business in history, that’s simply not how it works. If you are going to grow your business to any degree, you need to have the right goals in place, as well as the processes to allow you to strive towards these goals. Figure out how to work more efficiently, either by cutting through red tape or by adopting modern equipment that enables automation. Seek out new hires who have proven their worth in their previous positions. Will it take time and effort (and a bit of financial investment)? Sure, but everything that’s worth it tends to do so.

Furthermore, you need to be able to hold yourself accountable when things don’t go as planned. It can be too tempting to cast blame on anyone or anything else—an approach many less-than-admirable managers follow—so you need to commit to honest self-evaluation, regardless of whether your business’ efforts are trending up or down.

Maintain Forward Momentum

So, you’ve managed to expand your business’ comfort zone and embraced more opportunities as a result…time for a break, right?

Wrong.

Complacency is a dangerous thing, especially when you take into account how quickly things can change for a business. Millions of businesses suddenly had to make some very drastic changes a few years ago, and those that didn’t shut their doors after a while. While this wasn’t their fault, per se, their lack of preparedness and adaptability led to their failure.

As a business owner, you’re likely pretty used to pushing your own boundaries. Starting a business, or even taking up the mantle, is a real challenge. It takes grit, and that same grit is required if you plan to advance the company you are in charge of—and, as you’re the one in charge, it is your responsibility to make things better for your customers, employees, and vendors.

Yeah, building a business is hard, but we can at least make any IT concerns a lot easier. Reach out at 607.433.2200 to talk to us about what we can do for you.