Here are my 8 keys to a successful business as well as the hard facts. THERE IS NO MAGIC SECRET. Anyone who tells you there is, is lying. If you expect success to come quickly and easily, you might as well stop now (but don’t).

Key to a Successful Business #1: Believing It Will Be Successful

It doesn’t matter if anyone else does, it only matters that you do. Negativity and doubt breed negative results.

Key to a Successful Business #2: Work Hard

I don’t know anyone who is successful and didn’t have a long, hard road getting there. Expect to invest endless hours in your business, especially in the beginning. But once you have a steady customer base and a good reputation, things will come easier.Keys to a Successful Business

Key to a Successful Business #3: Be Patient

Nothing happens overnight, and you really don’t want too much success too quickly if you are not prepared to handle it. That can hurt your business. So set goals you wish to achieve daily, monthly and yearly and see those as a measure of success to stay motivated.

Key to a Successful Business #4: Be Willing to Change

I am constantly reminded of the famous quote, “Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results“. If your current marketing efforts are not working, why keep doing them, try something else.

Keys to a Successful Business

This art print is from LuciusArt on Etsy

Key to a Successful Business #5: Stop Compaing

I get this a lot. Why is this company that does the same thing I do, so much more successful? It could be a variety of reasons. First to market always helps. Maybe they have a large friends and family referral business. Maybe they had a personal contact at a major publication that brought substantial publicity. Maybe it’s just pure luck. Who knows for sure. Forget about them and focus on you. I have competitors, we all have competitors, but it is a large marketplace and you can carve out your own niche.

Key to a Successful Business #6: Take Advice

I have a lot of clients who come back to me asking why they are not getting results, only to find out they did not implement all the tactics I suggested, probably because they are hesitant to change (read #4 again). The truth is, you are not objective about your own business as you are just too close to it. So if you pay for professional advice trust what they are saying to do and do it.

Keys to a Successful Business

Key to a Successful Business #7: Invest in Your Business

Whether it is consulting services, advertising, graphic design, SEO, and so forth, you have to spend money to make money. If you are not willing to invest in your business, you are not serious about it.

Key to a Successful Business #8: Don’t Give Up

Failure is part of being successful. Everyone fails, the difference is successful people keep trying, they don’t give up.

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