13 Smart Ways to Grow Your Business Like a Pro
Kim Peterson Stone
Founder, Linkability.us | Where Industry Leaders Turn for LinkedIn Expertise | Trusted Since 2017 to Build Authority, Grow Influence, and Drive Results
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Success isn’t guaranteed, but there are steps you can take to increase your chances of realizing your goals and dreams.
One key attribute of successful Entrepreneurs is that even in times of uncertainty, successful people identify and stick to the foundational guidelines or principles they have set for themselves and their business.
Business principles are the backbone of a professional and a company, as these principles hold critical outlooks, strategies, standards, and priorities that you carry with you in every business decision. These business principles help professionals in every aspect of their professional journey, whether it be a company’s prosperity or a challenging situation.
If you want to achieve success, consider the following 13 principles that have withstood the test of time.
Most fundamental work principle: Make your passion and your work one and the same and do it with people you want to be with.
Ray Dalio
If you want others to believe in your business, you first have to believe in it. When you believe in your business and yourself, you emit energy and passion that others can see and feel. This spark is influential for customers, but it also empowers your employees to feel engaged, committed, and driven to work harder to meet or excel in business goals. You get the same energy and focus that you put into your business and professional goals.
The first 2 years of being an entrepreneur will be a roller coaster ride. The goal is to eventually own the roller coaster.
Patrick Bet-David
Success occurs when a person is diligent, passionate, patient, and growth-minded. Success rarely happens overnight. It takes hard work and time. Some days you will see remarkable growth, while other days, you feel as though you’re taking a step back ... or perhaps a number of backward steps may hit you out of nowhere, but progress is progress, no matter how small.
Make clear and defined goals for yourself and continue to put in the work, and every day, you will come closer to meeting your dreams and goals. You may need to take a step back to reevaluate some actions and goals, but remain focused, and your hard work will eventually pay off.
There will always be some new trend to follow or feature to use. But, despite the noise, you must stay on track to meet your goals. Remember: the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
There's a silly notion that failure's not an option at NASA. Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.
When you choose to overcome your failures and persevere, you will discover new things about yourself, become more compassionate and understanding, and find a new level of strength that you never knew possible.
Likely, you will also discover new strategies and opportunities that may not have been possible if you had not first fallen.
As T.S. Eliot once wrote, “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Don’t be afraid to fail, and if you do fall, dust your knees off, learn from your mistakes, and try again.
I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.
If your customers were to describe you, what would they say? What about your employees and co-workers? Would they say it’s your way or the highway, or are you respected as a leader?
If you want to succeed, you need to be willing to listen, ask for help, improve yourself and your actions, place the needs of others before your own, and admit when you make a mistake. Humility opens you up to the art of connection and allows you to make valuable relationships.
“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” – Neil Patel
People want to know that their skillsets and their contributions matter. If you’re going to see business success, you have to invest in your people. This is done through impactful connections, setting a positive example, strong collaboration and growth opportunities.
When you inspire and invest in your team, you improve employee retention and productivity, reflecting back on your customers.
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People are drawn to those who are fervently authentic and take pride in their work. As leaders, we must do our jobs without compromising our values, moral standards, or personality traits. Authentic leadership means being self-aware, mindful, original, and staying professional. Leaders that remain authentic instill confidence and trust in those around them, leading to dependable and honest relationships and motivated employees.
A clear objective provides a company with a focus to measure success, while a defined target audience allows a company to tailor its messaging to build stronger customer relationships. Without a clear objective and target audience, a company will find evaluating its program and strategies harder. To see sustainable results, one must also remain realistic in their expectations to avoid early-set failure.
“You have to be able to adapt quickly. If you aren’t able to adapt to market changes, someone else will.” – Neil Patel
The last three years have shown business owners the importance of acting fast in times of uncertainty and tribulation. The economy will always fluctuate. Sometimes we can predict the ebbs and flows, while we are surprised at other times. To be successful, you need to be ready to act promptly and develop innovative sustainable ideas and meet the customer where they are.
Your company’s culture is synonymous with its personality. Your mission, vision, and values need to be more than words written on paper. To be successful, you need to walk the walk and talk the talk. When you actively act the part of your company’s mission, vision, and values, your employees can also start implementing and feeling empowered by these characteristics that matter most in the company.
Whether your first impression is your LinkedIn profile, business page, or an in-person networking event, the moment the interaction takes place, your personal presentation and professionalism will decide how your customer responds.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so you want your first one to count.
Linkability has written numerous articles on the power of first impressions on LinkedIn. If you need help creating a robust LinkedIn profile, contact us today.
One can not charm or seduce their way out of lost time. Time has no mercy for those who take it for granted.
Patrick Bet-David
Successful people learn how to increase their productivity to improve their bottom line. To do this, you need to:
Spend your time wisely, and you are more likely to see success.
Think about those people you regularly interact with. Do they cheer you on and make you want to do better or be better, or are they harmful to reaching your goals?
Although good can be found in being around people who don’t think just like you, when you’re around people who make you feel secure, inspired, and confident, you’re more likely to push yourself just a little bit harder and reach goals that you’ve always aspired to meet.
Entrepreneurs and professionals wear many hats, balancing many tasks every day, which is why a solid organizational structure is at the core of every successful business. If you want to flourish and prevail through even the most demanding circumstances, you need a solid understanding of financial organization, time management, project management, and task allocation.
When you establish time-tested business principles, you will find a solid foundation and understanding for making your business and professional goals thrive.
Freedom comes from planning, consistency, goal tracking and discipline.
If you’re looking to stand out in the crowd and to take control of your career or business trajectory, contact Linkability today. By strategically using LinkedIn, we can help you open new doors and finally reach the goals you’ve set for yourself and your business.
Kim Peterson Stone is a three-time business founder, keynote speaker, and leading LinkedIn strategist that has amassed a global following of over 225,000 on LinkedIn. Not only has she authored hundreds of articles on LinkedIn and became a verified thought leader, but she has helped her clients do the same.
Her B2B digital marketing agency, Linkability, Inc., has helped a multitude of clients ranging from Intrapreneurs and Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies work smarter on LinkedIn by leveraging the art of surviving disruption. Armed with her intimate knowledge of thought leadership, entrepreneurship, and global business communications, Kim uses creative and purpose-driven solutions to develop a strong brand presence, generate targeted leads, and maximize online visibility for their clients.
Kim has changed the lives of many not by selling products but by solving problems, and she can teach you to do the same.