A Simple Way for Entrepreneurs to Stop Thinking Small
The world is full of small thinkers. Fortunately for us, they don’t read our blog or listen to our podcasts.
So we know you’re not one of them. But we want to talk today about a trap which even BIGG thinkers can fall into.
Thinking “either/or” can snare you into thinking small.
Yes, there are times when you have to accept a trade-off. But the BIGG idea behind BIGG success is synergy.
So BIGG thinkers don’t think “either/or”. They think “and”.
It’s the BIGG idea behind BIGG success – synergy. Let’s consider an example for entrepreneurs:
I either work in the business or I work on the business
Small thinkers get stuck. Like most entrepreneurs, they work in the business when it is young. The business grows. They hire an employee.
The employee is ready. But the business isn’t. So the business owner finds himself or herself busier than ever. They have their own work to do. But now they also have to go back and correct the employee’s work.
Customers leave because the service isn’t what they have come to expect. The small thinker concludes, “If I want the job done right, I have to do it myself.”
BIGG thinkers work on the business by working in the business
When the business is small and they can’t afford employees, they document as they perform. Then when the business grows and they hire an employee, they are ready to train him or her.
Customers continue to be thrilled. So the business grows even more. They hire more employees. The entrepreneur makes more money.
Everyone, including society, wins when entrepreneurs think “and”. It leads to BIGG success!
Do you think “and”?
Image in this post from stock.xchng
Here’s a concept that business owners often struggle to really understand: Every penny you spend is an investment. 
I do this in my businesses every three years. Costs can creep in. You commit to this service or that program. It all adds up. Instead of doing it all every three years, you may pick a few line items every year for review. Just make sure you cycle through all of them every few years or so. 
Let’s take an example that applies to our businesses and our personal lives – our cell phone. I might ask myself: Do I need the package I currently have or could I cut back? Do I need unlimited texting? 
We wrap up our conversation with John Jantsch on today’s Bigg Success Show. John is the author of the fantastic book, 
John, what if you’re a business that’s been around since … 1942. You’ve gained trust, you’ve been reliable, but you notice customers trying out your new competitor. What do you need to do? 
One thing that’s happening, just like you described, is that the way in which people are finding companies and the way they are getting information has forever changed because of this little thing called the Internet. I have found that companies may be doing a great job, but they have not embraced the new ways in which people want to get information – the Internet, blogs, search engines, e-mail marketing, and mobile marketing. If you’re not at least trying to understand how your market is changing, you probably are going to get left behind. So when people ask me what they should be doing in 2009, I typically say to embrace the web and create web presence as opposed to thinking that the web site you put up five years ago is good enough. 
It’s interesting … I was talking with a business owner not long ago whose customer base is 45 and older, very well-to-do and educated. His perception is that his customers aren’t on the Internet because they’re older. But that’s no longer true.