They're creative and innovative. Successful entrepreneurs are always one step ahead of the game. They are looking at what the next trend is rather the current trend. They are constantly looking at how to do things better; and offer customers more value for their money. Their marketing is eye-catching and they lead whatever market they are in. By the time their competitors catch them up they have moved on. Sure you can make a decent living being a copycat but you had better be constantly watching over your shoulder for the true entrepreneurs as they move in on your customers and steal your market.

They have the ability to sell. You can’t be an entrepreneur, let alone a successful one, if you can’t sell. A successful entrepreneur excites people about his or her company, its philosophy and of course its products. Even business people who have a sales force need to spend time on the front line; not only handling the major deals but the average customer too. The knowledge gained from selling to real customers is invaluable.

They truly believe in what they sell. The real business winners are totally convinced that they have the best product or service at the best price and deliver the best customer experience. And this is not blind faith, they can back it up with statistics, testimonials, knowledge and personal experience. This self belief shows itself as passion, commitment and enthusiasm, a powerful combination that generates emotional commitment from everyone they meet.

They have stick-to-itiveness. This may not be the technical term for this last but not least thing that makes entrepreneurs successful, but it defines it perfectly. So many business owners bail just before they become successful. There is a common denominator that all successful entrepreneurs have and that is that they persevered through all the trials and tribulations of starting and establishing a business. They did not give up at the first hurdle or the first time things got a little scary. Being an entrepreneur requires courage - he who dares wins - as long as he dares long enough!

The bottom line is that the truly successful entrepreneur, whether they own a corner grocery store, a car detailing business or a major corporation are all the same hardworking breed. They mine the coal face of business, they get their hands dirty and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their goals. So, can we sum up what makes a successful entrepreneur in a sentence? How about this? A passionate and committed incredibly hard-working person who exhibits total belief in themselves, their company and their product, while at the same time possessing an uncanny ability to engender excitement and commitment in others. Does that sound like you? If not, where do you need to grow? What habits could you change? Where could you challenge yourself to achieve greater success with your business?

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Staff Appreciation

Here are some ideas for summertime staff appreciation activities:

• Host a barbecue for your staff. At your home on a weekend or in the parking lot of your business after work – the place matters less than the effort you’ve put in to give them something special. Make it a “no shop talk” event, so people use the opportunity to get to know each other beyond the job. It also helps you to get to know more about them so that you can learn how best to motivate, encourage, and get the best performance from each individual on your team.
• Plan special Friday events. Perhaps it’s casual Friday where people can come to work in their jeans, or Tim Horton’s Friday, where you bring in coffee and donuts in the afternoon, or pot-luck Friday, where everyone brings something to share over an extended lunch. Or what about ice-cream Friday? You bring in a case of ice cream treats for people to enjoy on a hot Friday afternoon. The activities themselves don’t have to be expensive – it’s the effort you’ve made to treat your staff to something special that will stay with them and make them feel appreciated.
• Award a weekly staff appreciation prize. Get your staff together once a week for a brief announcement on who’s won the staff appreciation prize for the week. Let everyone know what that person has done that’s earned them the honour, and then award a small prize – a restaurant gift certificate, tickets to a local sporting or arts event, a Starbucks coffee every day for a week – be creative with what you can afford. It’s less about the award than it is about the public recognition you are giving your employees.
• Give surprise “creative” breaks. Set aside one half-hour, once a week as a creative break – only make it a different time every week. During this time your staff is encouraged to come up with a creative idea to improve some aspect of your business. Customer service, productivity, efficiency, team morale – the sky’s the limit. They can do this on their own, or get together in groups to brainstorm for an idea. The fun part is they never know when thathalf hour is going to come. It creates a fun mental shift and adds interest to the work week. Not only will you have a list of fabulous ideas by the end of the summer to improve your business, you’ll have let your staff know how much you value their input. And when they see some of those ideas being implemented, you can be certain they'll feel appreciated!

Customer Appreciation

Here are some ideas for summertime customer appreciation activities:

• Host a customer appreciation day. This idea is as old as the hills, but is still very effective. People love showing up at your store or business and getting a surprise. A few weeks ago I was out running errands at lunch time. I went to the Starbucks across the street from the grocery store I was shopping at to pick up a sandwich for lunch. When I came around the corner to the front door I was surprised to find a portable tabletop barbecue and people lining up for hot dogs. That day they decided to do a customer appreciation lunch and offered customers bbq'd hot dogs, chips and cookies for free! What a fabulous surprise that when I least expected it, I got a free lunch. Balloons, free cake or ice cream, a special discount, free anything – it’s a great way to draw attention to your business – you may even pull in a few new customers who are just curious about what’s going on.
• Acknowledge birthdays. If there is a way to get customers' birthdays into your database, it’s a fantastic way to make them feel special. There’s a used bookstore in my community that sends me a birthday card with a discount coupon every year. Within 30 days of my birthday I can come in and get 20% off anything I purchase. I look forward to that little token every December! Give your customers a prize or discount on their birthday and most of them will probably come in and use it.
• Offer something for referrals. If one of your customers refers someone to your business and that person makes a purchase, reward that customer with something tangible. A car dealer I know gives a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant of their choice to anyone whose referral turns into a sale. That small token makes it worth their while and lets them know that their referral is appreciated.
• Give pre-sale opportunities. If you’re having a big sale on a certain day, give existing customers one hour prior to doors opening to have first dibs on sale items.
• Send thank you cards. A hand-written card still goes a long way and means a lot to people. When someone has been a loyal customer for a certain number of years, send them a card to say thanks for their loyalty. If someone has made a significant purchase, thank them for doing business with you. If someone has sent a referral write a thank you card regardless of whether that referral turns into business for you.

These little things mean a lot! Take some time in the next few weeks to think about how you can show appreciation to the most important people in your business. Your efforts will have big returns.

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1. Am I on target? Targets are powerful things and should not be limited to annual, monthly or even weekly reviews. Sales targets for instance should be reviewed daily. That way you can immediately see when things are going off track. The earlier you know sales are dropping, the quicker can you can find the cause and do something about it. Once you are at month end there is nothing you can do to make that month better!
2. Am I gaining or losing customers? Even if you are reaching your targets, you may still have some problems looming. The occasional fabulous sale or incredible deal can boost sales figures, but what is the underlying health of your customer base? Check in with any customers you lose and ask them why they have decided to stop buying from you and try to put things right if there is an issue. On the other side of the coin, ask new customers why they decided to buy from you. How can you use this knowledge in your marketing?
3. How healthy is my cash flow? It doesn’t matter how good your sales are if you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. Make sure you know what cash you have available week by week and also check your cash flow predictions for several months into the future.
4. How many of my staff are contributing to the success of the company? Great employees are worth their weight in gold, but what about the others? Do an employee audit and see if any of your staff are a drain on your business. Don’t be afraid to weed out the dead wood and replace them with people that can actually make your business more money.
5. When did I last review my business plan? This is a very old chestnut but worth pulling out of the advice bag once again. Many business people write a business plan when they first start out but then consign it to a shelf in their office never to look at it again. Times change, the market and industry you operate in changes constantly so write a new plan, or revise your old one and ask yourself all those important questions over again - you’ll be surprised how different, and illuminating, the answers are!
6. When did I last review my strategic plan? If you haven’t got a strategic plan you are wandering, lost in the business desert without water. Go back to basics and set yourself goals, objectives and timelines and make sure you are moving in the right direction for success.
7. When did I last carry out a strengths and weaknesses analysis of my competition? This activity should be carried out at least every six months. The more you know about your competitors the better position you are in to compete with them for valuable customers. Make out a simple three column table with the names of competitors in the first column, then their strengths in the next and finally their weaknesses. Once you have completed the table for all your competitors study it carefully and see where the opportunities and threats are. Once you have this information you can then create strategies to combat the threats (i.e. your weaknesses) and take advantage of the opportunities (i.e. their weaknesses).
8. When did I last work on the front line of my business? Too often, the larger our business gets the further we drift away from the sharp end of our business (where the customers are). Take time out to serve some customers and work with your sales staff to see how the business is operating at ground level. If, on the other hand, you are hands-on and always working on the sales or manufacturing side of your business then answer this question “when did you last work ON your business rather than IN it?” Spend some time looking at the strategic side of your business and check whether the course you are on is the right one given the current economic and market climate.
9. Which of my marketing activities are working and which are not? Too often we allocate a marketing budget and stick with it through thick and thin. Take time out and see if you are spending your advertising dollars wisely. Create a table and make a column for each marketing activity you carry out. Then get your staff to check with each and every customer how they heard of you (or whether they are a repeat customer). Do this for one month and then see how many customers mentioned each itemized type of promotional activity. This will tell you what is working and what is a waste of your valuable promotional dollars.
10. What is my long-term goal or exit strategy? Very few business people truly understand what they are trying to achieve in the long term. If you eventually want to sell your business then you need to start to systemize it so that someone else could easily take it over. If you plan to hand it over to a son or daughter then you need a succession plan. Knowing how it will all end, long before you need to, can be exceptionally valuable.

Now that your eyes are open, where do you need to make changes for business success? Your chances of making it through the forest without disaster are far greater when you can see clearly where you need to pay attention.

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