They struggle because of a few quiet, repeated decisions. Here are some counter-intuitive decisions one need to take to kickstart stalled growth.
Last week I spoke to a room full of entrepreneurs (BNI Global members). I shared some life-learned lessons which we internalized the hard way when we at Indus Net Technologies (INT.) was stuck!
Let me share 5 of them here: (more detailed learning in the slides below)
1. One wrong customer can cost you more than 10 good ones.
Revenue is not value.
Ask yourself: - Does this customer respect our expertise? - Do they pay without friction? - Are they growing because of us?
Sometimes growth begins when you let go.
2. Hiring is not an HR activity. It's a founder decision.
One wrong senior hire can slow your company by a year.
Don't hire CVs. Hire ownership. Energy. Learning speed. Accountability.
If you don't have at least one "9" in your team (someone who builds other leaders), growth will eventually hit a ceiling. I have shared my 1-3-9 evaluation model of talent in previous LinkedIn posts.
3. Sales is not convincing. It's helping someone buy.
People don't want to be sold to.
- They want clarity. - The best sales question I ever heard was: - "Should you even do this project right now?"
That changes the conversation completely. The genuine advice makes you a client for life, even if the deal does not go through
4. Marketing that helps always wins.
Advertisement is noise. Authentic knowledge and expertise attracts.
What is the one question your customers keep asking you? What is that one truth everyone in your industry is afraid of disclosing? - Answer it publicly. - Clearly. - Without holding back.
That is marketing. Not noise. Not visibility. Trust.
5. Strategy is choosing what NOT to do.
Most businesses are not underperforming. They are not focussed.
- They are over-scattered. - Stop one low-impact activity this month. See what happens. - Consciously decide what you want do do - and why?
Summary: Entrepreneurship doesn't reward brilliance. It rewards consistency in decision-making.
- Which of these hit home for you? - And what decision have you been postponing?
Do share!