I had a client ask recently, “If I’m focused on personal stuff for a month or so, will my business wither away until there’s nothing left?”
Kinda scary, right, to think if you take your eye off something, it will die. In plants, in the spring, that can absolutely be true. A tiny plant start or seedling, if even one hot day goes by without rain or watering, the root system hasn’t developed enough for the plant to reach down and get moisture. It can die.
It’s good to know, however, that all metaphors are just that: metaphors. They don’t match perfectly.
I assured our client that no, her business won’t wither that quickly! Maybe six months or more of inattention would make it more difficult to build momentum, but it wouldn’t die the way a plant dies.
However, it also works the other way.
Plants, animals, living things automatically develop and grow just by being alive. Growth can be stunted, but whether it’s a young child or a young plant, it will develop into a mature being eventually.
Your business does not function like that.
Business development happens when you, yourself (or people that work with you) develop aspects of your business. If you don’t do the work, the business doesn’t develop, even though the months (years) are passing by.
It’s for this reason that a business can be three, five, even ten years old, or even older, and still be developmentally stuck in the first stage of business development.
Bad news is also good news.
It’s humbling! It can be painful to realize. But there’s good news, also, in this.
A business that has stuck around for a few years will have some parts that *have* naturally developed, mainly relationships with people who are just aware that you are there.
This means that an older business, when the critical parts do get developed, often see results happen quickly.
When I was a paramedic, certain kinds of diabetic calls, insulin shock, were a little bit like magic. A person who had their blood sugar drop, or had taken too much insulin, could look like (and actually be on) the brink of death.
I’d start an IV, and get a big syringe of sugar water (D50), and inject it in. Within seconds the person would start to wake up. In a minute they were fully conscious. Everyone stared in awe at The Heroic Paramedic.
Just sugar water, folks, judiciously applied.
Your business needs some sweetness.
Yes, another imperfect analogy! Still, it’s true: if your business has been around awhile, and you’re still struggling, don’t despair. Don’t blame yourself. Don’t think something is wrong.
Just help it to develop. It won’t come around as quickly as our diabetic patients would, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw big changes in a relatively short period of time, some weeks, a few months. Boom- a different reality.
What if you’re new in business?
It still applies. You can still see changes happen pretty quickly. It is true that an older business may jump ahead *more* quickly, because of the years of backed-up potential. But being new you’ll still be ahead of the game, because you won’t have struggled along for so long before getting going.
If you think you’re in the first phase of business development.
Please check out our Clients & Money program. It’s what we’ve developed to help folks in your position to really fly.
Yay!
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Questions?
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With huge appreciation,
Mark Silver and the whole team at
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
3 Responses
I totally agree with you, business are an extension of the people involved in them.
One of the best reads in the recent times Mark! It was actually very motivating because there have been times when I was in a state of despair when there was a slump in the business, now I realize that it is all part of the organic growth, which will eventually give fruits, if we persist long enough.
It was exceptional article Mark! I love to read it because it’s very knowledgeable.
If the State has possibly shriveled away than the Socialist direct time of Marxism is certified; which recommends the preconditions for Communism are finally met. In like manner, those preconditions are strikingly inquisitive.