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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek |
Steal the best secrets
Believe it or not, you're not the only person with your challenges and goals. As a growth-oriented small-business owner, at times, it may seem that way. But it's simply not true.
The fact is, that many other owners have faced similar challenges and already achieved what you're looking to accomplish. There's nothing new under the sun -- just things that have been re-invented, re-shaped and presented in a new form -- the underlying components are the same. It's the same thing with challenges and goals in your business.
Once modified and adapted to your business, the strategies and principles at the root of proven solutions will give you a significant advantage, and will allow you to shave months, possibly even years, off the alternative path of pursuing painful trial-and-error methods all on your own.
The answers are already there for the taking.
The secret is most often they're simply outside your own industry.
Why are the innovation secrets that yield growth rates of 50 percent, 90 percent, and even more than 200 percent found outside your industry?
The answer is simple: studies within any given industry show that, give or take 15 percent, everyone in your industry is doing things the same way. Regardless of what your industry is or what kind of challenges you face, almost every company in any particular industry is doing things virtually the same way.
No matter how large the gap in gross revenues is between the top companies in your industry and the ones ranking dead last, you can bet there's an average difference in how "business gets done" of 15 percent to 18 percent at the most.
To get the massive improvements of 50 percent, 90 percent, even 200 percent you must step outside your industry and geographical area to find these answers.
If you carefully investigate the companies in the top 1 percent of any industry you'll find they understand and religiously apply this proven principal.
Think of it this way: You've probably seen the TV series or one of the Star Trek movies at some time in your life. Remember the transporter the crew used to "beam down" to another planet or over to another ship? First, you see the person stand in the transporter, get energized and POOF! ... they're transported to their targeted destination and regenerated.
That's the metaphor I like to use when coaching business owners on how easy it can be to take a proven principle that's working in another business, break it down to its bare "molecular base," transport it over to your own business and regenerate it.
The only difference is that when it's regenerated in your business, you alter the "DNA." You take the proven principle, adapt it to work in your unique business culture, and mold it to fit your product or service.
Then, sit back and reap the rewards of exponential growth as your competitors struggle just to keep up with you, wondering what your secret is.
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John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Access an expanded version of this article at www.GetCoachedforFree.com.