Every successful entrepreneur has experienced the same challenges that today’s startups are feeling right now. Here are 5 key tips from successful entrepreneurs that range from the importance of believing in yourself and reflecting on your accomplishments to finding the perfect mentor. These lessons can help anyone starting a business, keep reading to find out how it can help yours.
Reflect on your success like Sarah Bolitho, Assistant Australia – Victory Offices Sydney Member
I think one of the best things I did when setting up Assistant Sydney was choosing company values that were very well aligned to my own, and to what I wanted to achieve with the business. Every time we complete a big project, a senior assignment, event or initiative, we take time to reflect on that success.
Each and every time we have realised that in embarking on that journey, managing it the way we did and driving the outcome achieved – we did so in line with our company values. This moment of reflection has always been very rewarding both personally for myself and for my team. I have no doubt this has also contributed significantly to our company culture! When working with our clients, we constantly communicate just how key business culture and values are to a company’s overall success. The two in my opinion, are intrinsically aligned. Choosing values that were very simple and a natural reflection of how we wanted to work has certainly helped us live up to them from the start, without necessarily having a daily consciousness of doing so!
Believe in yourself and Listen to your clients Like David Harlock from Harlock Consulting – Victory Offices Melbourne Member
Believe in yourself and your abilities, and use these to provide the best possible services to your clients. Really listen to your clients and find out what they need. It’s very old school but I never go anywhere without a pen and paper and I write literally everything down rather than rely on my memory. I therefore never forget to call anyone back or fail to do what they ask of me. This habit has served me well both in previous management roles and now in my own business. Being reliable, responsive and pro-active – all basic things but so important in gaining trust and being an easy person for clients to come back to for their next project.
Approximately 70% of my work is repeat business from loyal clients and whilst I like to think this is due to my valuable technical knowledge it can’t be discounted how important it is to be interested in your clients, deliver a responsive service and therefore give them good reason to keep you front of mind for their next project. I’ve never been great at marketing and networking and so I rely on my project delivery and resulting referrals as my key form of marketing. All businesses and people within them are of course different but in a sentence, I would say that a piece of advice for any business is: “Give your clients a really good reason to come back again”.
Focus on Your Goals and Build Relationships Like Aaron Kidd from Zephyr Capital – Victory Offices Perth Member and Sam Kazi From SK Recuritment – Victory Offices Melbourne Member Focus
Do what you enjoy, are best at and have the most leverage from. Ignore any noise. Set a clear vision and work to achieve it with good people.
Building relationships is the best thing you can do for your business, it’s the relationships that get you the business and less of the product or service you are offering. There are no such things as rules when it comes to business development.
Good Health and Early Planning Leads to Success Like Ryan Donohue from Digital Remedy – Victory Offices Brisbane Member
I have two pieces of advice for business owners. Firstly, don’t wait until the morning to prepare for a successful day. Start the night before with achievable and realistic goals. This allows you to wake up relaxed and stress-free because you have already designed the blueprint for a productive day. Secondly, burnout is a real risk if you’re not mindful of your health. Running a business 35 takes energy, passion and motivation and good health is the foundation on which these traits are based. Taking the time to look after yourself now could save you weeks or months of time later down the track.
Discover the Power of an Experienced Mentor Like Ryan Donohue Digital Remedy– Victory Offices Brisbane Member
In start-ups and small businesses, you must move fast, often with limited knowledge or information to make the right decisions. Having someone who has been there before and has experience in the areas that you don’t, can really help you. A mentor can really help guide you through the important decisions and can help you to prioritise what is important. There are also plenty of things that as a small business you can’t do that a large business can. Don’t get caught up in those things. Work out what you can do that large businesses can’t, and hone those as strengths. Usually, it’ll focus around things like customer experience, personalisation and agility.
Victory Offices workspaces are a fantastic opportunity to grow and nurture your business. From startups to large multi-national corporate we have the office space for you. At Victory Offices be surrounded by the experience and support you need to nurture your success. To find out more please call us on or click here to contact us today.