So you are struggling with your business? Who isn’t today! But there’s good news. Most of your business problems you can control. And Chris Rugh is going to give you some “by the book” business tips from his new book 1-800 Awesome: Tactics For Making $10,000 an Hour.
Typically entrepreneurs struggle with one, or sometimes all, of these few business problems:
- Money (is this not the big one, or what?)
- Management
- Model
These pointers are what I like to call “The Three M’s”: Money, Management, and Model.
- Money – This is obviously the big one, and also can be a huge downer. I don’t know any businesses that hasn’t struggled with this one at least once. And today it’s even harder to deal with. Even some of the most successful and well-run businesses I’ve seen are struggling financially. All in all, while this can be a tough one, there are some things you can do to make some extra cash for your business. My favorite? Find investors. Get someone to invest in you, or that is also willing to become a business partner. Now this may seem like a lot, and it is, but I can tell you from experience it can be done. How? Well, it’s all about networking. Who do you know in the business world that you could sell your idea to? Make some calls. Go to some trade shows. Network, network, network.
- Management – Another biggie. Maybe you are struggling to manage tasks or projects, or even employees. Or maybe even all three! My advice for this one? Get out of the way. Seriously. Let your employees do their jobs. After all, that IS what you hired them for, is it not? If you find that you are having trouble keeping employees or that morale is at an all time low, that is usually an indication that you are doing something wrong. So suck it up and make it better. Get off your employees’ asses and let them do their jobs. And if you are struggling with tasks or projects…don’t be afraid to delegate those to your employees too. You’ve got to admit to yourself that you can’t do everything. I find that this is one of the hardest things for an entrepreneur to accept, but it is a crucial one. I’m telling you…get out of the way!
- Model – What I have found is that this is one of the most underrated items. So many people try to get away with starting a business with no business model or plan. Bad move. Mark my words…you are destined for failure. And I don’t mean this to be an asshole, but nothing can be further from the truth. So how do you generate a business model? You’ve got to think of a product or service and how you are going to market it. What is your five or even ten year plan? Then you take your brilliant idea to a potential business investor or partner, and sell them the idea, and get the funding. Now this takes care of “Money” AND “Model”. Talk about killing two birds with one stone…pardon the cliche.
So my business by the book advice? Well, you can always “‘buy’ my book” for some good business advice. But a good start is definitely following the pointers above. Now of course your start up or entrepreneurial problems may lie outside these pointers, but I bet you can relay them back to either one of them. All in all, these will not only help you solve your initial business problems, but done right, and with a little bit of my help, you can also make $10,000 an hour.
