In business the results you get can be “relatively” proportionate to the effort you put in. So far so good, but a problem arises when people don’t do anything or do the wrong thing to try and get results. 

Far too often people will play the blame game. “I tried this to get more business happening and it didn’t work and the same with that, and that and on and on … nothing’s working!” 

I think it’s a bit like this, I want to build a house, I have some materials and I put them together but it’s not working… of course not - no plan coupled with low skills, I may end up with a house with no floor, no roof or missing a number of key items . The same in business, if you need to market the business you need to know something about marketing, Human Resources; you need to know Finances, Tax, operational issues, hopefully you get the picture. 

IF you don’t know something you need to find out how to do it properly. Take marketing for instance, doing it properly makes a huge difference to the results, doing it long enough to see the results really flourish is another thing again. Being able to measure the results is another thing again. 

OK I hear you saying “There are only so many days in the week and hours in the day.” Here are my responses: 

• If you don’t like doing any of the things which HAVE to be done in business, get someone else to do it. Outsource the task to free you up to do more of what you really want to do in the business. 

• Plan your time better, delegate more. 

• Many people in business work long hours, often doing only the tasks that need to be done in business hours in that time slot (calling customers etc.) then working after hours on other tasks like bookkeeping. 

• Stop procrastinating; either you want the business to do well or not; if not get out of it. 

• Stop using creative avoidance techniques to “stay busy” and get nothing done. 

• Success is working toward any worthwhile goal, therefore get better at setting your goals. 

• Focus on the results you want by being outcome driven. 

Your business should provide a great lifestyle for you in so many ways; let it be all it can be by being the best business owner/operator you can be. Being at fault should not be an option, being successful should be your main priority. 

Maria L. Novak Dugan is president of Marketing Solutions & Business Development, a firm in West Chester, PA, offering creative marketing services and goal implementation for small & medium sized businesses. For more information, contact Maria at 610-405-0633 or MariaNovak001@yahoo.com or visit www.Maria-L-Novak.com