Tag Archives: risk

Finding the Secret

I love the people at Under 30 CEO. They find really insightful people to share their secrets on any number of topics. Entrepreneur Chuck Wall, no longer an Under-30, but a sage none the less, has offered up The Secret to Your Business Success. Here are some he has considered. Can you guess the one he believes today?

  • Listen to Customers
  • Learn to Sell
  • Mitigate Risk

His answer? Listen to your customers instead of yourself. (Did I fool you putting it first?)

When you think about it, doesn’t that really cover the other two? Good selling is about learning what it is your customers need and then giving it to them. By understanding what they really want you will cut your exposure, too. Chuck offers four tips to help you listen to your customers:

  1. Get a clue
  2. Listen to customers’ ideas about everything
  3. Quit expecting to find the answers in Big Data alone
  4. Discover the why in Big Insight

The Secret to Your Business Success at Under 30 CEO

 

 

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Fixing your fix on Fear

Over in the Inc.com blogs recently, Eric V. Holtzclaws, CEO and founder of Laddering Works, talks about four major fears facing entrepreneurs. Not an entrepreneur? These may be keeping you held back in your work or calling. He also offers great prescriptions for each:

  • Fear of Failure. The obvious one. who wants to suck? Holtzclaws says pay attention to what works and doesn’t, and deal with it. This translates to regularly review your operation so you can act.
  • Fear of Success. If it works, you must perform. Can your operation meet the demand? Plan ahead and find someone in your industry you can partner with. My buddy Phil Leonhardt of CSL Media in Fredericksburg found another printer to handle specialty jobs he doesn’t have the equipment to service so that he can still meet customer needs.
  • Fear of Starting. Things seem too large? Not sure what to do? Just start! I teach clients, when setting goals to think of something, however small to do today when getting started. Even a small step will give you confidence to take more action. After all, you will have started!
  • Fear of Loss. Risk and loss can freeze us. As Holtzclaws points out, the status quo doesn’t really stay static. If you don’t control change it leads to risk — and loss.

My tip for facing fear: gratitude. Faith is the slayer of fear. Gratitude is faith in active. Don’t just be thankful to yourself. Let others know you appreciate them and you will discover it is hard to be afraid when focused on others.

Fear is a 4-Letter Word

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