I remember the very moment that I “got” the power of business.
I was 12 years old. My parents had spent the last 7 years of my life building a thriving business. While I had no idea that they had built a multi-million dollar business, I did know that something BIG was going on.
I began to understand this “bigness” because they used to have the annual company picnic at our house. We always had
yards large enough for volleyball, basketball, playgrounds and custom-built animal enclosings for our two dogs (my dad built a high-rise, insulated duplex dog house for our two springer spaniels, Dusty and Brandy) and ducks (yes, I did say ducks). We had a large custom-made duck pen complete with a sunken bathtub and high-rise nesting house for what grew to more than 30 ducks over the years. The animal pens alone were a spectacle at our annual company picnics.
It wasn’t seemingly endless summers of working at my parent’s office that gave me the realization of the power of business. It was that day – the day of our company picnic in 1982 when I got it.
As hundreds of people were running, playing, sunning, barbecuing, and enjoying all of my parent’s landscaping and gardening work, I realized, “My Father is responsible for all of these people.” They ranged from infants to the parents and grandparents of our employees. It was a celebration of all they did to help the business grow.
I was so moved that as soon as I turned 18 years old, I ran to the Washington State Secretary of State’s office to get a business license. It was my birthday present to myself.
My parents made it look so easy. I remember my Dad’s very first office and in what seemed like a few months, he purchased waterfront property that overlooked Bud bay in Olympia, WA. He painstakingly remodeled an old mansion-home into his business headquarters. Before I knew it, every office had multiple staff persons in it. It was a bustling center of excitement, challenge and possibility on a daily basis.
I had NO idea that it takes a special formula to move your business out of hustle-mode, where you are all-too-familiar with lack, into flourishing or being profitable.
After being a single mom for 18 years while I hustled to build a business (and ministry simultaneously) with no capital or credit, I knew it was time to figure out the formula to come out of the hustle that was leaving me drained, frustrated and up night after night trying to stretch my time. I was tired of always feeling like I was perpetually trying to get to the financial breakthrough, but refused to quit because this is what God called me to do.
I have learned so much working along-side of highly successful business women over the last 9 years, many of whom have made the transition from lack into profit. There are three constants that each of them did to shift from what our proprietary Business Uplevel Quadrant™ calls making the move from being a Specialist into Business Development. These constants are:
- Keep your eyes and activities on the vision no matter what.
- Create a key strategic partnership that lifts you up where you are weak.
- Pursue bigger deals so you can quickly increase your revenue.
When you do these three things along with other tried and true ways to increase your profit (some you hardly ever hear about) that you can immediately implement to make a difference in the next 30 days of your business, you will begin to leave the hustle behind and never look back!
If you are ready to learn the process that will take you from the juggling of financial lack into being profitable so you can continue building the business God placed with in you, then join our upcoming teleclass, 7 Out-of-the-Box Ways to Be More Profitable Now Tele-class coming up on Thursday, June 1st at 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm or 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm EST.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Ericka