Why do we run a business? To find success, of course. This is quite simply the baseline definition for even beginning. Yet success can often depend on your intent. For example, an NGO or nonprofit startup may not wish for complete profit or maximizing shareholder value. Instead, they care about staying afloat and achieving the goal they have set out to accomplish. Many entrepreneurs are after personal fame, profit, to build the name of their family or to take a large percentage of an industry for themselves.
All of this can be good, because ambition is often what helps the economy stay strong and jobs to come to fruition. However, before success, before boasting, before purchasing the three piece suit and the cigar to smoke on the balcony of your penthouse, consider what really matters, at the fundamental level of business life. Sometimes, there are things much more important than your baseline stated goal.
Let us understand what those are, and discuss how new businesses can adopt that into their strategy.
Your Purpose
You need to know what change you hope to make. Simply lining your pockets with profit might be an end goal, but it’s never a driver of ambition, of innovation, of development. Consider the life of an artist. In order to become noticed, they need to practice their skill. They need to have something to say, create a style or master one they wish to use. They need to make the art their life, let it come from the soul, and then develop from there. This is what turns heads. We’ve all known bands we love that seem to become more corporate when successful, and somehow lose that artistic integrity. A business can be much the same way. Consider what shifts in the industry you would like to make, or how you will become the rational choice for most people. This is the basis on top of which any worthwhile firm rests.
Safety
If you cannot guarantee the safety of your staff within your office, you do not deserve to hire them. Of course, you can never ensure 100% safety. But working tirelessly each week to keep your standards high and to embed worthwhile practices can be important. For example, spray foam insulation can keep your offices clean and protected, while fire doors and smoke alarms are basic elements that can help your staff evacuate if need be. Ensure you keep on top of these needs, and always better them to your end.
Your Customer Experience
How will your customers experience your product, your service, your firm? If you struggle to answer these questions, then that signifies a problem you might have. It can be essential to iron out these issues ahead of time, giving you more room to breathe when making changes. Focus groups, speaking to your customers and understanding the needs of an industry can be essential in gaining new followers.
With this advice – you are certain to get your baseline business needs in order.
