What is the key to success in business? If it were so simple to answer that question, the word entrepreneur would lose its meaning. Since who starts a path, he never really knows where he is going. It is a risk that must always be taken into account, since of a hundred that start; very few reach the goal of success.
What can be learned from those who have triumphed is that, apart from having had to luck with their idea, they have dedicated two fundamental factors: time and work. Without them, everything we do will be in vain. As the famous violinist, Pablo Sarasate said, I have practiced fourteen hours a day for thirty-seven years, and now they call me a genius.
And that’s, dear friends, reality. However much business plan we outline, the capital that we invest, market studies we do and all the promotion we do, we must keep in mind that success is a long-term goal. Unless, of course, we go on the fast track like those singers and groups of the eighties – known as one-hit wonders – who had immediate commercial success with a theme but whose name or the most music lovers are able to remember.
Is it, therefore, an impossible, and fantasy to succeed? Not as much as it may seem the famous teacher already said it; you all want fame, but fame costs. And you have to be aware that starting a business is not exactly a path of roses. Or maybe yes, since this beautiful flower also has sharp and painful spines on its stem.
Do Your Research
If we are willing to make that effort, be careful! Man does not live by work alone. We have to carefully observe the movements of the competition so as not to be left out of respect with respect to them. At the same time, we can not be obsessed with the original idea, but we must have enough flexibility to adjust to the external needs and circumstances that affect the market. A business is not built with stones, but with gums capable of tensing and fluctuate when the start-up encounters the first obstacles.
Make a plan
The economy has replaced the wars of yesteryear. This can be seen by looking at the main book of the heads of the executives: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. The old military councils of the Chinese strategist have been recycled by specialists in business administration, as well as the work of Carl von Clausewitz or Machiavelli. Sooner or later we will have to face our rivals in the economic battlefield, and its reading will be of great help to us when reacting and anticipating the movements of the competition.
Of the main readings that can be extracted from the military manual is that a well-organized army will fight better than those who, never better said, make war on their own. The anvil and the hammer of Alexander the Great, the Roman phalanxes or the Spanish football team of this century are examples of the importance of maintaining a defined system when executing a job with guarantees.
Integrate best technological aspects
Another factor that decants the balance in the race is the technological level that is available. Irrigation made Babylon powerful by boosting its agriculture. The navigation allowed the Phoenicians and Spaniards to have rich markets beyond the horizon. England struck a blow on the table with its Industrial Revolution and Germany exploited the resources of the chemical industry to dominate the pharmaceutical field. The United States developed electricity, chain production, and computers.
Therefore, if we can get something clear from the experience of the story is that an optimal combination between the use of technology and an adequate organization does not grant the success of the first, but it does guarantee the survival and possibility of development.
And this is where the magic of success comes into play. The businessman must not be a conjuror, taking tricks of the sleeve to get around the problems, but an orchestra conductor under whose baton the symphony of the company sounds in the right way. And what you have to be very clear about is that the winds are blowing and the strings are playing. I do not remember any famous concert in which a man orchestra has come out.
Plan your finances
And precisely that was the problem faced by SMEs and the autonomous formerly: the multiplicity of functions. The economic factor caused the need to distribute the tasks inherent to the business among its workers or to be entrusted by him or herself to undertake them. This multifunctionality was vital to take the reins of the job properly. Unfortunately, it was counterproductive in terms of its effectiveness. The work took longer than necessary to complete, and the customer service and care of the company were affected by that duplicity.
Fortunately, that is no longer the case. Thanks to new technologies, you can count on a service of virtual secretaries that, besides being cheap, offers the blessed possibility of creating order where chaos once lived. By freeing employees from this task, work time is optimized more efficiently while clients and the company benefit from the work of professionals in the field of management and care.
However, many remain reluctant to incorporate this important competitive advantage in their offices. Spain is a country impervious to change, either by tradition or by distrust. Because of this, why we have remained in the background on the international scene. And that attitude forces us to keep looking for tricks for success instead of implementing an organizational system of work more suitable for the times in which we live.
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