Does your business need to change?   2 comments

“Standing still can be the fastest way of moving backwards” Edward De Bono
This can be very true in the world of business today, especially as change moves at a faster rate than ever before, particularly with social media, advanced technology etc.
SME’s especially need to embrace fresh ideas, opportunities and develop so that they can keep up with the larger players in the market or even stay afloat against their competitors. Here are some tips that may help:-
  1. It can be frightening taking on new ideas and challenges but if you keep things in perspective, i.e it will take time to change things, and you don’t have to make major changes all at once, this can be a gradual thing. Set yourself a generous time limit for the changes you wish to  make and stick to it.
  2. Assess what you have done in the past and what has worked. This should give you a confidence in your ability to move forward and try new things.
  3. Be aware of the possibility of failure, but think what is the worst that can happen if your new idea does fail. Will it have a large financial impact, will it affect how you run your business or will it just be minor changes that are affected. If only minor, what you have you got to lose by trying. Also bear in mind you will learn from any mistakes you make along the way.
  4. Share your enthusiasm with colleagues, friends and other business owners. Get their input and opinion on your ideas. Include work colleagues in your plans and ask them directly for their input and ideas. If they are involved they are more likely to welcome any changes you make and they will feel included in your plans.
  5. Trust your ‘gut instinct’ or ‘hunch’ but don’t forget to be realistic about things as well. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. You have to feel confident and comfortable with any changes or new ideas to make it work. 
  6. Research your ideas or changes first, don’t jump in head first. The internet is a wonderful thing and can provide a mind of information on just about anything. Local community, business workshops, advice services, etc are all there to help. They want you to succeed.
  7. If there are times when your belief starts to drift, talk to an expert, friend, colleague and discuss the issues. Listen carefully to what they say, and consider their perspective on things.
  8. Do not make excuses for avoiding change like your “too busy”, “too difficult”, “doesn’t affect me”, “too much like hard work”. I reiterate the first sentence.

“Standing still can be the fastest way of moving backwards!”

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2 responses to Does your business need to change?

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  1. Pingback: Gene

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