To win any game, you must know the rules. Then, you must play by those rules all while improving your skill-set and performance within those boundaries. This is true for every game, sports or otherwise, we play. In fact, rules are in effect even if we don't know them - and the consequences can be swift and harsh if we break them.
Not so true in the "game" of business.
Business is the only game in life where YOU can set the rules. You can structure your business to fulfill your dreams, goals and outcomes. As a matter of fact, if you structure your business based on other people's rules, you're guaranteed to fall short of your potential (on the low end) and fail (worst-case scenario). Why? Because other people have set the rules to based on their strengths, not yours.
Success in business begins with deciding the game you want to play, and how you want to play it. Personal fulfillment starts with consciously deciding things like what positions you'll personally fill on your business team, and what you'll outsource.
Try "I'll do it my way."
Too many business folks mistakenly believe "it has always been done this way" is the best way to run their businesses. That type of approach will only get you the same results the other guy is getting (and how's he doing anyway? Average? Below average?). Surely that's not even close to what you're wanting to achieve!
I see this mindset in every industry. Look at what the majority of other business owners are doing in your industry, and listen to how much they complain or blame things on outside influences (like "the economy"). The solution would be to put a new set of rules in place and re-engineer how they run their business, starting with what would work best for them, in that moment, based on their vision!
How different are your competitors from each other? My bet is there is no more than a 10% to 20% difference across the board. This leaves success a wide-open proposition for you, if you seize the opportunity.
How different are you from your competitors? Are you offering essentially the same services/products to the same market and experiencing the same financial rewards and constraints?
If you don't like your answers to these questions, then now's time to make a change. The first shift you need to make is in your mind. Winning in the game of business and playing by your own rules takes a comprehensive strategy.
Start here by setting your own rules by answering three simple questions:
1. What could you and your company provide (products/services/benefits) that your competitors do not, cannot do, or would not to do, even if they thought of it first?
2. What is considered "impossible" by the majority of people in your industry? How could you provide that service/product/solution IF it were really not impossible? If it were possible, and you did it, how could you change your industry and set yourself head-and-shoulders above the rest?
3. What are clients and consumers regularly complaining about in your industry? How can you provide solutions to their complaints?
Have you considered that perhaps your competitors are talking about how "impossible" something is to implement because they don't want you to create the solution, and therefore take away their market share? They are stuck in what's always been, which quite frankly is fantastic for you!
Take your answers to these three starter questions and begin to mold your operational systems, marketing, and pricing structure around the answers you come up with. You can boost your profits and your personal fulfillment at the same time, starting by setting the rules of your own game.
When you set your own rules in this manner, you will take a commanding lead in your industry, niche, or profession. You'll be setting the rules around what consumers want instead of what companies in your industry find to be "the norm." Remember this: when you help enough other people get what they want, you'll get more of what you want!
If you want to win big in business and in life, stop playing your game by other people's rules. Set your own rules to generate the profits and create the lifestyle you want!
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