Finding immense success at a near immediate rate is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement that rarely occurs within the business world. One may think that if you don’t find success within your first few months of starting a business, your chances of finding any at all are impossible. However, humble beginnings often make for the most successful individuals.
Look at some of the most prominent CEOs and billionaires today, taking into consideration where they started. Warren Buffett began his incredible entrepreneurial journey as a newspaper delivery boy. Oprah Winfrey worked as a grocery store clerk when she was in her teens. Jeff Bezos served as a fry cook McDonald’s. Yet, they all worked their way up the corporate ladder to achieve what some people consider unimaginable.
One of many important lessons to take away from this is that every single role counts in any given business. Take a restaurant for example. The dishwashers’ responsibilities are no less important than the hostess’s or the waiters’. Without even the smallest of tasks completed, the entire business could face serious difficulties. The same can be said for corporate environments. Each role is assigned for a reason. Without every one of those roles being completed quickly and efficiently, there will be repercussions at some level.
In a similar manner, every customer should be treated equally as well. In the first stages of a business, customer and/or client retention is crucial. Once you’ve gained a decent amount of traction, treating brand new customers the same way you’d treat your first loyal few should be a necessity. It should never matter how much a given customer is paying you in comparison to another who may be paying more. Their loyalty and value as a source of revenue should always be considered.
In some cases, not finding success initially could result in a pivot regarding one’s business model. While quitting immediately is never suggested, adjusting to the changing markets is hardly ever an unwise decision. If sales begin to see a decline or customers begin to seek business elsewhere, it could be because of cheaper, or simply better alternatives. This absolutely merits a shift in business operations.
Pulling up your bootstraps and working your way up in the business world can be an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience. Failing to see any success within the first year or so should never deter even the most inexperienced entrepreneur. See it as more of an initiation to your progress as an established business leader.
