You started your business because you want to make money, didn’t you? Well then, make the most of the opportunities you have: maximise your income.
During this past festive season I was struck by the different ways that businesses were run. I was impressed by some of them in our town: they planned for the rush, had enough staff on duty, had all the tills manned, and did their best to keep their customers happy. This is how you attract repeat business and thus grow your turnover.
But in some towns further away, some businesses were closed – and that at a time when they could have enjoyed more turnover than usual, because of the influx of visitors looking for exactly the kinds of services and goods that they offer. Why? Yes, I know you and your staff need a rest some time: but surely you can structure things so that you stay open at the busiest time, and take it easy at a different time of the year
A restaurant (not in our immediate vicinity) I went to with friends had only one waiter on duty. He was not coping with the number of clients. The, to make it even worse, he told us he could not serve all of us our drinks at the same time as there were not have enough glasses! The owners of this place lost out on lots of business; we were not the only people who walked out. If there had been good planning, this very attractive eating place would have increased their income considerably.
There are lots of opportunities in running a business and you can make an excellent income. But excelling at business is not easy: it comes with hard work, sweat, worry and sacrifices. You can’t always be free to party when everyone else is doing so.
If you really want to have a successful business, you need to look at where your main opportunities to earn an income lie, and be prepared to suffer inconveniences. With time and the growth of your business, the inconveniences may become less. Bite the bullet and go for it!
Source: Joan Du Plessis (Assistance in Document Analysis & Design)
