No Secret Potion, Magic Beans or Fairy Dust

There is no secret potion, magic beans or fairy dust required to meet your 2014 goals.

Yes, it is getting close to that time of the year again – the dreaded fourth quarter. A time when many business owners review their financials and breathe a sigh of relief, or go into full-blown panic mode because the results are not there.

So, how is the end-of-year stacking up for your business? Are you feeling good about all you and your team have accomplished so far this year, or are you scrambling for a quick fix to try and salvage the final quarter?

If you are searching for a secret potion, magic beans or fairy dust to supernaturally improve things, then please stop! Review the May 13^th and May 28^th blog articles I posted titled, It’s Time to “Ante Up”! and Who Wants Customers For Life? You will find some great tips to help improve your top- and bottom-line results.

Next, if you are truly committed to building a profitable, scalable and sustainable business for the long haul, then invest more time, energy and resources into the following areas:

Great people.What is the most important thing in business? “Talent”. John Spence said it best in a recent blog article, “The only sustainable competitive advantages left to most businesses are: the quality of the people that you can get, grow and keep on your team, and the relationships they create with your customers.” Great people are the difference.
Great planning. “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” – Lewis Carroll. Great planning will provide a roadmap to future success, and the clarity, focus, sense of urgency and accountability required to improve execution and results. Plan for future growth that is consistent, competitive, profitable and responsible.
Great performance. Talent will get you there, but great performance is what’s required to keep you there. As much as 85% of success can be tied to execution. So, spend more time doing and less time thinking about what needs to happen, if you want to see things change for the better.

Despite all of the social chatter, hyperboles and “secret” formulas that we hear and read about each day, success still boils down to these three main ingredients. There is no secret potion, magic beans or fairy dust required.

So, where will you devote your time, energy and resources during the fourth quarter in order to improve short-term results, and prepare for future success?

John