Pep Talk: Why we are not yet achieving our goals even though we have the best intentions?

My friend loves baking. She is an educated pastry chef from Germany working in the UK. Alongside her job, she also has a website with some of her cakes showcased that everyone can order. Despite her desire to bake and get orders from everyone, she is not getting much of the business except from her friends. I recall her complaining that Britons do not appreciate nor understand how good her German cakes are which is the reason her small cake venture is not moving forward.

Believe me, her cakes are delicious! However it is not enough to bake great cakes and expect the world to find out about that. Her best intentions do not help  increase the client base. Why?

 

Achievement is action oriented. I can't raise my grade in a class just by thinking I want an A.  I do not get a better deal from my supplier by meditating on a lower number.  Change requires action, and more specifically it requires action that is focused and directed towards the change you want to make.  Raising grades requires studying, paying attention in lectures, lowering the cost of your supplies may involve talking to your supplier and asking him how you can get the price lowered.  In order to attract more business, my friend needs to get out from the kitchen more often and look for and test many different ways to increase awareness about her and her cake business. It's all about action.

So often we get caught up in the meaning of the intention behind everything we are doing and we think that will be enough.  We think that if we have good ideas and good reasons, that we will experience success.  But that is rarely how the world works.  Expansion, bigger profit margins, and more sales stability all require specific and focused actions carried out to make changes you have outlined and goals you have set.  Frustration will get you nowhere.  Complaining to your girlfriends about lack of clients or revenue drops will get you nowhere.

In fact, stagnancy  will set you back.  Innovation and change are the only constant things on the market - if you stand still, you are going to get left behind.  No question about it.  If your business isn't doing as well as you had hoped, the last thing you can afford to do is wait around for the economy to get better and bail you out.  It doesn't work like that.  To be competitive and attractive, you have to offer a product that fits the market right now, that fits where people are.  The market, the trends, and the public will be very different in 6 months.  If you wait around looking for a bailout, you are calling in the buzzards. Standing still is a no-no.

We need to take action.  We shouldn't stand still.  But the path you take is determined by what is holding you back.  You need to take a close look at why a consumer might choose someone else over you, or why they might make smaller purchases, why they may not come back.  Look at what makes businesses in your field stand out, and ask yourself what they have that you don't.  The key here is to brainstorm and make a list of all the things you can do to improve the way consumers consider your business.  Are your prices too high? Can you do anything to make your personal interactions with potential repeat-buyers even more positive? Can you reach out to your community in a way that will make people aware of your business and your product? Take an objective stance and seriously consider getting outside opinions, including that of the customers.  Recognize what is holding you back, and accept that fixing it will probably improve business.  That is, acknowledge your shortcomings and prepare to take action.

This action, it may not be pleasant at first.  It may involve working more hours while you get new routines set up, laying off employees, and restructuring command.  But you should never let the unpleasantness of what you need to do get in the way of grabbing the market by the horns and riding the capitalist bull for all it's worth.  Don't be afraid to try something new if you think it will make your business more profitable. After all, this is your living, your career, your dream.  Do not let hesitation take that away from you.

The last step is to implement the changes and watch your business grow.  It will take time, it surely will not be an overnight change, but the confidence of knowing that you are improving your self-owned business every single day is something that each and every one of you deserves.  It is a part of Your American, European or Asian dream and a part of what moves society forward.  A better tomorrow is something within reach and something worth reaching for.  It's something you should never be afraid of, and it's waiting for you right on the horizon!

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