“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” –Robert H. Schuller
It’s a powerful thought, isn’t it? So many things we fail to accomplish are things we never pursue out of fear of failure. Next time you’re faced with a business decision, ask yourself: what would I do if I was certain I’d be successful?
“Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘make me feel important.’ Never forget this message when working with people.” – Mary Kay Ash
This simple visualization is a wonderful way to approach customer service and employee engagement. At the end of the day, if you make the customer or team member feel anything other than important, you likely haven’t succeeded.
“Starting a business is a lot like jumping out of an airplane and assembling the parachute on the way down.” –Unknown
It’s a feeling all small business owners relate to—flying by the seat of your pants for weeks or even months at a time. But it’s how we learn things, and how we learn to adapt. The most successful small business owners are the ones who know how to figure things out on the fly!
“Sheer persistence is the difference between success and failure.” – Donald Trump
“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” – Steve Jobs
Both Trump and Jobs are saying essentially the same thing: perseverance pays. Think about your biggest accomplishment. It’s likely you didn’t achieve it without a few challenges along the way. Now imagine if, just before you reached the turning
point of success, you’d let that last mistake or adversity cause you to give up. Your persistence is what gets you past that last hurdle and on to success.
“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” –Unknown
Those late nights, early mornings and weekends spent at your desk will pay off in the end.
“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” – Zig Ziglar
What a wonderful way to look at customer complaints. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If you have a clear opportunity to improve, then you have a clear opportunity to attract more customers. Some days you just need a little inspiration—that extra nudge that encourages you to keep pushing forward. We’ve compiled some of our favorite motivational quotes every small business owner should read. Feel free to share this with the entrepreneur in your life!