Richard Branson started a blog on LinkedIn. His Five top tips to starting a Successful Business http://www.tourismtattler.co.za/five-top-tips-to-starting-a-successful-business/ are both refreshing and thought provoking.
I have précised his five top tips:
1. Listen more than you talk
Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places.
2. Keep it simple.
You have to do something radically different to stand out in business. But nobody ever said different has to be complex. Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse.
3. Take pride in your work.
Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates, and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers.
4. Have fun, success will follow.
If you aren’t having fun, you are doing it wrong. A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life.
5. Rip it up and start again.
If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn’t a success, welcome to the club! Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them.
I’d like to add one of my own favourites that I picked up to kick off 2012 – it could be in summary of all the above.
“If it ain’t broke; break it.”
http://www.sbnonline.com/2012/01/if-it-ain%E2%80%99t-broke-break-it-now/
Break-it hotel marketing begs us to constantly examine and look to improve everything we do to market our hotels; no matter how well they appear to be doing.
My Gap Analysis http://suzette-bouwer.co.za/marketing/gap-analysis/ seeks to identify those processes that work, don’t work and may be due for a re-bore!
