Are You Harming Your Business?

There are two schools of thought that have been proving right when it comes to killing business or killing a sale. I wanted to share these tips for you, as a business owner, to help my audience understand what NOT to do when it comes to business. If you follow my advice, you will grow your profit margin. So- without further delay- here are the two things that will kill your business;


1. Thinking the customer is always right.

This will kill your margins. Reducing costs, giving away freebies, comping things.... all of these practices will put you out of business. The customer isn't always right. While you want to try and smooth things over with an annoyed client, you don't want to destroy your business in the duration. Think about how to resolve a problem with value added services, not discounts or freebies.

2. Toxic employees.

This should seem obvious but toxic employees can cost you customers and turn off great employees. Bad HR practices will hurt your company. Even poorly behaved contractors can ruin your company. Avoid this problem all together by looking beyond experience and more at attitude. Remember, external customer service starts with internal customer service.

Don't let these two things ruin your company or potential growth. Know that the customer isn't always right and that your employees' bad behavior will hurt your profit margin.

Until Tuesday,

Twyla N. Garrett

Fake It Until You Make It? Why "faking it" can boost your business.

I was once told "fake it until you make it." I never understood this concept. Why would I want to be a fake anything? In fact, I heard that transparency is crucial when starting a business. Well, after years of staring, running and even closing some businesses I have come to a single conclusion- both pieces of advice were right!

I'm not stating that you should fake being an accountant. That's not at all what I mean. What I am referring to is having the self-confidence in your business idea that many entrepreneurs often lack, which is why these ideas are just concepts! As a business owner you should always be honest with your customers,but if you need to fake self-confidence until you realize that you CAN run a successful business, well that is ok too!

Below are my tips to "faking it" in business- at least when it comes to your confidence.

#1. Stay focused on you. Don't get involved with employee drama, what other people think you should or shouldn't do, and don't try to multi-task when completing important tasks. Put your blinders on and ignore the gossip, negative opinions are the urge to do several things at once. Focus on producing great work and iconic proposals to initiate success.

#2. Know where you are weak. If you can identify what areas of your own business bring out your weakest skills then you will know how to correct and overpower the situation- thus leading to more confidence. Ignoring your weakness will only add more stress to your life and will hold you back from your goals.

#3. Set challenges. If you want to "fake" your way to success then set-up real goals. As you take baby steps to accomplish these goals, you will come to realize that you do have what it takes to run a business and that you don't have to "fake" anything!

It is a tough world out there when it comes to the business industry. If you can present a sense of self-confidence and you believe in your products and/or services then you have already won half of the battle.

Until next time,
Twyla