I remember when I started my small business. I spent the day Google “How to have a successful business” and “What do successful entrepreneurs” looking for a magic formula to make my initiative succeed.
Something funny happened today.
I was in Crossfit class doing squats, when I felt a pull on the bottom of my favorite black leggings.
“It can’t be” I thought and ran out of the room.
I looked in the mirror and there it was – a big hole in the crotch area.
I returned walking like a penguin and with the greatest regret (I love Crossfit training) I picked up my things. I told the teacher that I was going to leave.
He asked why, so I explained the situation.
He took his jacket and said to tie it to my waist.
Having a hole in the pants was no good reason to give up training.
Between the hole and the spell skirt that hung from my waist, doing irons and squats was uncomfortable, but I felt the most successful in the world when class ended.
The painful incident helped me understand that for me, to succeed means doing what I like, despite the obstacles I may face along the way. It is probably something different for you.
Success is as personal, as your tastes when eating and your way of dressing.
There is no formula that can give it to you.
In this guide I will help you create your own definition of success. I will also give you eight key strategies to succeed with your small business.
Before continuing, be sure to download your PDF guide . This way you can check it as many times as you want. Or if you are older you can print it to take notes and underline.
This is what you will learn:
- What are the characteristics of a successful business?
- 7 Strategies that guarantee the success of your small business
- Success stories in small businesses: How I found my first client
What characteristics does a successful business have?
There are several people who consider earning a lot of money as a sign of success.
I agree that finances are important .
I also like the good life. I enjoy traveling, staying in good hotels and going out to dinner without worrying about the bill, but it is not enough.
Once, I worked in a towel factory. He earned well and was in charge of the design department. It was a good professional opportunity, especially since I was a recent graduate and this position would give me a good curriculum.
One of my responsibilities was to visit the sewing workshops. They were huge and hot wineries. They were full of toxic dusts and there was poor ventilation. The seamstresses spent 10 hours locked there.
They suffered respiratory problems, skin disorders and kidney pain. They didn’t even give them medical insurance. Every time I thought about the poor women and how my work served to perpetuate their exploitation, I felt terrible.
I quit to find an alternative that would allow me to earn money, but at the same time make a positive impact .
This is the reason why I started my first business. When I realized how fun it was, I started teaching it in my entrepreneurship course. Do what you love .
Working with my students, I have discovered that each business is like a work of art – unique and unmatched – that reflects the personality, talent and aspirations of the entrepreneur.
Even so, there are certain characteristics that every successful initiative must have. I will tell you what they are and how you can adapt them to write your own definition of success.
Successful feature # 1: Profits are like a river that is always flowing
According to the dictionary
“The term business comes from the Latin negotium, a word formed by nec and otium (” what is not leisure “). It is the occupation, work or work that is done for profit. “
If your business is not generating constant profits, you have a hobby and you can officially declare yourself a failed entrepreneur. As simple as that.
Action
Set a profit goal that you would like to receive monthly with your venture. The important thing is not the quantity, but you commit to generate it on a regular basis.
If your business is seasonal and depends on a specific season of the year (for example, a gym, which receives more tickets in January), you can set a quarterly, semi-annual or annual term.
Here you will find a simple scheme to organize the finances of your venture.
Successful feature # 2: Your talent serves to make a positive impact
I love Christmas because it is an opportunity to give gifts. It forces me to think about the desires or needs of my loved ones and find them the perfect gift.
Nobody is going to give you their money just because your business has a beautiful facade.
If you want to be successful and have constant income, you need to put your head in a Christmas Gift status . Find out how you can give your passions and talents to others, always looking for ways to solve their desires, problems and needs.
When you find it, you put a price on it and you get a successful business.
One of my students in Do what Amas spent the holidays taking care of the children of her neighbors. I did it for pleasure.
With the exercises in the course, he realized that his talent for entertaining latosos could become a good business. He began giving Saturday ecology workshops for the little ones.
They have been a success and are already planning summer courses with the same approach.
Ecology courses are a win-win situation for everyone. Children learn and have fun, moms relax, my student feels happy to express her love for ecology and to raise awareness among children. Best of all, you receive money while doing it.
My student’s business generates a positive impact for everyone involved, but there are others that harm society or other people.
An example would be a cigar company. It can generate a lot of profits, but it is difficult to feel happy when you know that you are causing cancer and health problems in society.
Action
- Make a list of your passions, talents, knowledge and experience
- What are the problems you see around you?
- What are the problems you would like to help solve for others?
- How can you use your skills, talents, knowledge and experience to get it?
- What kind of positive impact would you like to make with your work?
Successful feature # 3: Work doesn’t feel like work
You can have a business that generates money and makes a positive impact, but if you do not enjoy working in it, it will be very difficult for you to grow or feel happy.
Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook sums it up very well. This is what he said when asked for advice to be successful:
“If you go home for dinner and you find a vegetable with a terrible flavor on your plate, you can force yourself to eat it. But when you are playing something you enjoy, even if the game is very difficult, you will strive to move forward. When you do something you love it is simpler and acquires a greater purpose. ” Original article: Tips for recent graduates, in Forbes.
If the activities in your business feel heavy, or you really don’t find a reason to work beyond the classic one, I need the money , you might have a bitter vegetable on your plate.
I will give you an example.
Many people fantasize about the idea of being a digital nomad to travel the world working from a cafe.
I have a friend who, attracted to this ideal, started her own online business. What he never considered is that he was going to spend long hours in front of a computer and would have to deal with technological issues.
My friend is outgoing and is going crazy because of the lack of face-to-face contact. He also hates having to solve the technical part. Your business becomes heavier every day and it is hard for you to continue.
He is seriously thinking of throwing his tasteless vegetable in the trash to find something more appetizing.
Action
Every business has fun parts and not so exciting parts. Ideally, you can do 80% of the first and 20% of the second.
Make a list of the typical activities you should do for your business.
Take a green marker and point out the activities you like. Use a red marker to mark the ones that don’t.
Is your list greener than red?
Good for you! You can continue
Is it more red than green?
You have a serious case of bitter vegetable. Rethink what you are doing.
Tip: If your venture is not yet underway and you don’t know what activities you are going to do on a regular basis, ask someone who is already doing what you plan to do or do a Google search to find out what they are.
Successful feature # 4: Your business allows you to enjoy crazy life
I don’t mean to have a foam party and fill a pool with Spring Break holiday beer.
Rather, it’s about designing your ideal lifestyle and finding a business that can give it to you.
I studied Textile Design at the university. When I graduated, my parents suggested that I open a store to sell my creations.
I immediately said no.
I love to travel and I didn’t see myself stuck in a place that had to open EVERY day. I also didn’t love the idea of setting up a workshop to make my designs.
I wanted to be a nomad and this would be totally incompatible.
After much thought, I decided to go online. I opened a sewing site where I shared tutorials to make dog accessories and cloth bags.
That is six years old and so far, internet business is still the way I undertake the most. They give me flexibility to work anywhere in the world and adapt to my personality, lonely and introverted.
I fully enjoy being alone with a computer, a cup of coffee and good music as the only companions. The lack of face-to-face contact that drives my blogger friend crazy is a blessing to me.
If I had to run all day running in the street, dealing with customers or talking with people, it would be hysterical.
Action
Close your eyes and visualize your own version of crazy life ( this tutorial guides you step by step). Then write down the details on a sheet and think about the type of business that will help you get it. I will give you some examples:
- You want to live on the beach – you could have a restaurant (as long as you like to cook), a hotel, a boat tour service or a surf school
- You like to be surrounded by artists – you could dedicate yourself to commercialize their works of art
- You want a luxurious life – you need to think about a business that is highly profitable and allows you to be surrounded by expensive things. A luxury accessory boutique in a big city would be a good option.
- Your crazy life version is more like mine: You don’t care about luxuries, you prefer a simple life in a hippy town surrounded by nature. In this case, you have to think of ecological business options such as a line of natural cosmetics or manufacture and sale of vermicompost.
This is the last feature I have for you. If you have followed my instructions, you have a clear definition of what success means to you. From now on, protect it as if it were your greatest treasure. Do not let anything or anyone force you to settle for less.
Now, you will get 7 strategies to transform your definition of success into reality.
Before continuing, be sure to download your PDF guide . This way you can check it as many times as you want. Or if you are older you can print it to take notes and underline.
7 Strategies that guarantee the success of your small business
The other day I was in a family reunion. I got bored of listening to the political discussions between my uncles so I went to look for the children.
Sitting down to color or do experiments with earth and plasticine would definitely be more fun.
They were playing a “Connect 4” tournament and little Alexandrite was the invincible winner.
After losing 8 rounds, Valeria, Emiliano and I made an alliance to strip her of the throne.
We note that he always threw the first chip in the center of the board. We started doing the same thing and Alejandra started losing, mua ha ha.
It’s not that the girl was superintelligent, rather she had a winning strategy – something that many entrepreneurs lack.
A strategy is a plan, or a series of steps you take to achieve a goal.
I am going to give you 7 basic strategies that will help you succeed with your small business.
1) Become a mental makeover
For the root of a tree to be strong and support the inclemencies of nature, it needs good soil.
Imagine that your business is a tree and the thoughts you keep in your head are the fertile land you need to thrive.
When your internal talk sounds like this:
- I can not
- I do not know how to do it
- It is very difficult
- I’m scared
- How about if I fail
You get a sad and shrubby bush, which any mediocre wind can tear down.
When you repeat positive ideas:
- I achieve anything I intend
- The obstacles amuse me, I can easily knock them down
- I have everything I need to succeed
- The difficulty motivates me to continue
You get a strong and majestic oak!
This is not about magical powers or experiments with the law of attraction. It is pure logic. Your thoughts generate your actions and your actions generate results.
Mediocre mentality = mediocre action = mediocre result.
Successful mentality = successful action = successful outcome.
Action
Look at the thoughts and attitudes you have throughout the day.
- Do they empower you?
- Are they motivators ?
- Or do they lower you and make you feel useless?
- What relationship do you find between your usual thoughts and the results you experience in your life?
In this tutorial I explain how to use affirmations to start changing your mindset.
2) If you don’t go with everything, you better not go
Get up from the chair and at this moment decide:
“I will succeed or die trying”
Having a business is like an old-fashioned marriage, of those where divorce was blasphemy. They lasted until death decided otherwise.
You cannot commit to a project and the next day abandon it because you already got bored or because things did not go as expected.
You will fight for your business. You will strive to make it work. You will spend time . You will make it a priority in your life. You will give everything for him.
If you plan to go in half to see if it works or just because you’re curious, you better save yourself the drama. You are not made to undertake.
3) Jump to the precipice (with parachute)
Last year I went on vacation to southern Mexico. I visited a cenote, which is like a large natural pool.
There were three zip lines with 5, 10 and 25 meters high from where you could jump. I ran up to the highest.
There was a wooden handle that hung from a pulley. I had to grab it, jump over the cliff and let go when I was over the central part of the cenote to fall into the water.
To say that I was afraid is little. I WAS CAGADA.
If I had sat down to think that the zip line cable could be badly tied, that the handlebar would break with my weight, that the height was too high and my bones would break due to the impact with the water or that I would hit with a stone – I would never have climbed that device.
Instead, I saw the opportunity and it seemed fun. For a second I thought about what could go wrong, but I thought aside and jumped.
Meanwhile, my mother was on the shore talking with a lady. I could hear a piece of the conversation:
- Madam: “Look at that little girl, how bold”
- Mom: “She is my daughter”
- Madam: “It is seen that she is an entrepreneur. He is not afraid to climb there. ”
Of course, I was scared but I wasn’t going to get bored and wanting to.
Many entrepreneurs get stuck in the comfortable area , because they don’t want to take risks and fail.
I agree that investing your life savings in a project that you don’t know if it will work is stupid.
But you can not expect someone to give you a contract explaining that you are going to work a certain number of hours, you will earn a certain amount of money and you will not have to suffer any mishaps or try harder to achieve success.
If that’s what you’re looking for, you better get a job and forget about having your own business.
Decide what you want to do. Get informed Read. Compare Analyze your options. Think about what can go well and what can go wrong.
Find out how to minimize the possibility of failure and then
Jump thinking that you will succeed.
4) Apply the Candy Crush
There are moments that change your life forever. One of them was when I discovered Candy Crush. I was extremely bored and looking for something to do. It occurred to me to download games on my cell phone and Candy Crush came into my life.
I became obsessed.
When I had free time, I took the phone, pressed the pink icon and lost myself in a universe of colorful candies. Every time he lost, he tried again, once, twice, three times, five times until he passed the level.
I accept that losing two hours a day at Candy Crush was not very productive, but something positive is that I was developing what Carol Dweck calls a growth mindset .
When you have a big problem to solve, you can address it from two perspectives:
- Believe that you don’t have the necessary knowledge or skills and give up.
- Believe that you do n’t have the necessary knowledge or skills yet. Know that you are going to face a learning curve, but eventually you can overcome it.
The first approach limits you and leaves you stuck. It does not allow you to go beyond the skills or knowledge you have at this time. The second approach automatically opens your mind to infinite possibilities. It forces you to take action and take the steps that will lead you to success. This is the right mindset to succeed with your venture.
I leave you the Ted Talk where Carol shares the experiments she did to reach this conclusion.
5) Repeat this new mantra
A few years ago I went to a meditation retreat. One of my master monks repeated a phrase that I like to remember.
Patience is gold.
He said that when you meditate, you should sit on the cushion without expecting any results. You are there to watch what happens. When you are patient enough, your mind calms down and you begin to have deep experiences of meditation.
The advice works to succeed in meditation but also in business.
If you sit down to work on your project every day, and you are patient enough to wait for something interesting to happen, one day it will happen.
It is unavoidable.
When I started this blog, beyond 2014, I spent two years writing. My mom, my neighbor and my best friend were the only ones who read me, but I didn’t give up. Methodically I wrote article after article and focused on promoting them.
One day, the thing exploded.
Someone found my 9 habits to be a successful woman , shared it on a popular Facebook page and my blog went viral. In a single day I received 5,715 visitors.
It happened in 2016, almost two years after the original publication date.
From there, my other articles began to receive more visits.
Anyone would say it was a stroke of luck, that you can publish an article and sit down and wait for someone to find out. The truth is that it took me months of work.
A business is a long-term project, so take a deep breath and repeat the mantra I gave you.
Patience is gold. Patience is gold. Patience is gold.
7) Put your life On Repeat
Typical. You open Spotify. You choose an interesting list. You play and get to work.
When there is a song that you like popcorn marks. If you don’t like it, you give it next. You constantly get distracted looking for something to listen to.
It is what everyone does, except those initiated in the On Repeat technique , which consists in playing the same song infinitely while you work .
It helps you focus and be more productive. The reasoning is that when you hear the same tune over and over again, your brain enters a trance state. In addition, you avoid the dispersion of your attention.
Ryan Holiday author international best seller and Matt Mullenberg founder of WordPress are known for using it.
Today I have 2 hours with Oh Brother of Whilk & Misky.
The bargain voice and the sad beats have turned me into a kind of robot that doesn’t think, just does what it has to do. I feel super focused and in the area .
Most rookie entrepreneurs try to pursue several ideas at the same time or want to put all their talents, passions and interests in the same business.
They end up overwhelmed and with an infinite list of earrings, which does not take them anywhere.
The solution is to put your life On Repeat .
Choose one thing you are going to focus on and work on it until it is finished. Do not be dazzled by any bright object that crosses your path.
I will give you some examples to use this technique in areas that are not related to music:
- Write all the business ideas that fly through your head on paper. Choose one and focus on developing it.
- If you already have a business, make a list of all your goals. Choose one. Work on it and don’t get distracted by other opportunities or projects until you get it.
- Make a minimalist task list. Instead of having 10 points, feeling overwhelmed and end up procrastinating on Facebook, choose a single task that you want to complete today. Finish it and enjoy the rest of your day, knowing that at least you got an important breakthrough.
This is my minimalist to-do list for today.
My minimalist task list. When I finish the first activity, I will feel satisfied.
One more reason to use On Repeat
n The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind , T Harv Ecker shares the mental patterns you must develop to get rich.
This man had 14 jobs and started 12 businesses. Everyone failed. His economic situation was so bad, that on several occasions he was forced to decide between putting gas in his car or buying dinner.
He realized that he was not getting anywhere so he started doing things differently. He studied the habits of millionaire people and realized that they had great ability to focus.
He decided to open a sporting goods store and promised that he would not be distracted by any other opportunity that presented itself. If he failed, then he failed , but he wouldn’t leave his project or change his focus for anything in the world.
A few months later, he finally achieved his goal and became a millionaire.
Action:
Choose a way you are going to apply the On Repeat technique today. Can:
- Work with repetitive music
- Simplify your to-do list
- Land your business ideas and finally commit to one of them
- Write your goals and choose one to specify
8) The Chinese restaurant strategy that will make you succeed
My best friend is married to a Chinese who, like a good Chinese, dreamed of opening her own restaurant. He spent two years looking for the perfect place for his business.
It had several requirements, but the most important was the location. The place should be in a popular area, where many people will pass.
It did not refer to 20-30 people per day, there had to be thousands. He knew that without this, his business would be a failure.
He finally found it.
He opened the restaurant and since that day he’s crazy. It is not enough with the amount of customers it has.
Moral: The Chinese are wise. You have to follow their example.
I don’t care if your business is physical, digital or only exists in your head. Starting today, I want you to forget to print business cards, open a web page, design a logo and any other activity that you think you need to have a business.
Instead, sit down to think about who your customers are and how you are going to get them.
If you invest your time and energy in them, I can assure you that your business will succeed. Dare to ignore them and you will go to the club of failed entrepreneurs.
There are certain important points that you should keep in mind:
- Your customers are a group of people with similar characteristics. You’ll see, hear, study, call, support and investigate so make sure they are a group of people you like to be with.
- They have a problem to solve.
- You can offer them a product or service that solves their problem.
- They have money to pay for your solution.
- They want to pay for your solution (Not everyone who has money and problems to solve, are willing to invest to fix their situation).
- Finally, it is important that you know where to find them. A platonic customer, who meets all the characteristics but only exists in your imagination does not help much.
These questions will help you think like Chinese:
- What are the characteristics of my ideal client?
- Where can I find thousands of these people?
- How can I make it so that they find out about the existence of my products or services?
Before continuing, be sure to download your PDF guide . This way you can check it as many times as you want. Or if you are older you can print it to take notes and underline.
Success stories in small businesses: How I got my first client
Success is a ladder that is built by seating one step at a time. One of the moments that I celebrate most with my students of Do what you love is the fact of getting their first client.
I will share the story of four girls who have achieved it, so that you are encouraged to follow their example.
Elena Márquez, owner of ElenaDigitalArt
Elena is a graphic designer that offers digital editing services to companies that sell their products online.
He then shares his definition of success and the steps he took to find his first client.
Success for you is …
Achieve what I propose in each of the areas of my life.
Who is your ideal client?
My ideal client is one who understands the power and value of an image. Enjoy seeing, having and willing to pay for professional images that communicate and attract the eyes of others.
Values and is aware of how an image can directly affect the increase in online sales.
How did you do it to get it?
It has been a constant work process for 5 months following each step of the course Do what you love . If you follow them to the letter, you can start.
What has helped me the most is to have a space to work, have a schedule of activities, the incredible biweekly coaching of Ilse that is a great support if you take full advantage of it, set me goals that I can meet and above all understand that CLIENTS ARE THE BASE OF A BUSINESS.
To get my first potential customer I had to create my store on Etsy and immerse myself in digital terms that I still understand and learn.
The most important and crucial part of the whole course has been to encourage me to take the step I was so afraid of: Talk to my client in a virtual way to understand his needs and realize if my minimum viable version satisfied her.
There is still a long way to go, but until now it has been very fun, satisfying and challenging but always guided by Ilse and my entrepreneurs.
I am very happy and grateful for everything I have received in this course because it has made me enjoy my venture and has made a big difference in my way of doing things that I did not know.
How did you feel about this achievement?
Very happy, satisfied and grateful because every action I took during the course led me to be able to talk with my client and aroused in me the belief that it is possible to undertake taking a constant and focused step every day.
Visit his Etsy store to see the services he offers.
Eva Ferrer, Infinite Possibilities
Eva is a lawyer who works with businesses formed in society and was also part of Do What You Love.
It facilitates the uncomfortable conversations that the partners of a company must have so that personal relationships do not harm the progress of the business.
Success for you is …
Do what you feel you have come to do with freedom and the conviction of contributing to others the best of you.
Who is your ideal client?
The entrepreneur who will start his business career with a partner. He is very excited and eager but little objective data regarding what needs to be made clear for society to function.
How did you do it to get it?
When you have a service you consider innovative, you are afraid because you cannot find a reference to look at.
It seems that you feel uncomfortable with the fact of charging for something you do not know if it will be good, useful and if it is well oriented.
My problem is that I am very perfectionist so it always seems to me that it is not enough
In my case it freed me to put it at the service of another, at no cost, in exchange for precisely being tested and tested, in exchange for an opinion that would help me in each phase to know if that was something useful for another.
And what if it was.
I greatly appreciate that “pilot test” because it helped me to realize that it was indeed useful for others.
How did you feel about this achievement?
Happy. Satisfied Excited. With recharged batteries. For me the concept of “useful to another” is fundamental. Feeling that it was made me realize that it made sense.
Naty Ramos, Natura Wave
“I work for a drug company. I am starting to set up my own natural products and holistic spaces business.
Two months ago I had a mentoring session with Ilse.
Before the call I felt out of place because I had a hard time focusing because I really didn’t know where to start.
Ilse suggested that I start selling my natural products and organize through a planner where I could place my tasks either daily or weekly, and the truth was that it was very helpful because I applied it and I am much better than before, because I have organized and I know clearly what activities I must achieve to achieve the goals.
I have done very well …. since the day I started, I have had too many beautiful experiences and very pleasant opportunities because they have invited me to entrepreneurial talks, people have contacted me because they want the products and people have left (angels call I) who have appeared to be another guide, just as Ilse has been.
Ilse has been a mentor of what I have been applying and I remember that on the day of the call she told me: you have to start selling and fixing tasks! and well, I paid attention hehehe:):) ….. I already started 🙂 “
You can find his delicious creations on his brand’s Instagram.
Alejandra J. Olguín, Bizcocho’s Bakery
Alejandra is not my student, she is one of my readers. One day he wrote to me about his small cake business and how much he enjoyed it. I could not resist and asked him to share his definition of success.
Success for you is …
Leave everything in the hands of God and his angels and that everything goes very well!
Who is your ideal client?
Who likes your product, come back and recommend you.
How did you do it to get it?
Son, it was many years ago … but I made cakes to take to meetings and they tried and from there they started asking me to sell them.
How did you feel about this achievement?
At first very scared and excited. Now very very happy and very proud to recognize me as the “Mrs. of the cake basket”
On his Facebook page you can find his delicious creations.
Anyone can googling “How to succeed with your small business” but finding the answer and putting it into practice is what separates the 1% who get it from the 99% who fantasize about making it happen.
What side are you on?
If you are one of the first, I want to support you.