I used to believe the number 1 thing you need to grow your business is customers.
I was wrong.
Yes, you need customers to have a business.
But the most important thing to grow and scale a profitable business is having the right people on your team to deliver on the promise of your business.
Even if you are a solo professional, you’re going to need people to support you so that you can do the work you’ve been hired for.
In his business building classic book Good to Great, Jim Collins found that companies who made the leap to greatness focused on getting the right people on the bus first.
Getting the right people on your bus isn’t as easy as it used to be. In fact, the tables have turned in recent years from a buyer (employer) market to a seller (employee) market.
Today employees are looking for much more than fair compensation.
They want the opportunity for career growth. They want to be satisfied and feel like they are making a difference – and working toward something that’s aligned with their values.
Use the same discipline you bring to attracting your ideal client or customer to the talent game.
Who are the people you want to attract? What do they value? Why?
What words would they use to describe the work environment that would be most satisfying and engaging?
Let’s say you have the perfect candidate sitting in your office, just waiting to be convinced that you are the very best place for them to work. You can’t throw more money at them.
What would you say?
Would you take the job if the roles were reversed?
These aren’t rhetorical questions. Take a stab at answering them for real – in writing.
The business you grow (or save) might just be your own.
-Doug
P.S… I know first-hand how difficult it is to do this exercise by yourself about your own business. We’re so close to it we’re often blind to the good and the bad. If you want a really clear picture you’re going to need some honest expert guidance. If you do, give me a call. It’s what I do.