"Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better." - Jim Rohn
Last year I outlined this process for building successful businesses through reflecting on some of the successful business people I’ve spoken through in the past and also from personal experiences with the different businesses I have grown and helped grow.
You may or may not agree with this, but it’s just an interpretation of what the future of building a business looks like. As our world changes quicker, we are forced to change the way we approach creating businesses. I call it the Rule of 2:8. Two things are at the core of each business. Two things should never be taken lightly and should be at the center of every business, regardless of the sector it’s in.
Relationships and Community.
At the core of humanity, going back thousands of years you see how tribes, cities, states, and countries were built on trust and commonalities. Yes, the circle revolves around the relationships we build with our business partners, our staff, our employees, and the consumer. We build these relationships and as they grow they build out a community that will sustain your growth. The relationships and the community will not only keep you grounded and accountable, but they will also demand more of you. They will challenge you to grow. Your relationships and your community will determine the growth and sustainability of your business.
The rest of the chart revolves around the 8. The eight are SS:CC:MM:PP.
Strong Leadership: If you ever read the book Built To Last or Good To Great, you know how important strong leadership is. In fact, Jim Collins talks about Level 5 Leadership. With strong leadership comes a vision, a vision that will carry a company forward into the future. A company that can leave a legacy.
Systems: Strong leadership usually brings systems and processes. Let’s take a look at Mcdonald's and the secret to their growth. The repeatable systems that are put in place so that no matter who is working those repeatable processes bring about the same result. The stronger the leadership the more amazing the systems.
Content: When the right system is in place you will find that it creates a message that can be delivered through the leadership that is driving it. The content that the company delivers is ultimately how the company is perceived. Content isn't just social media, digital assets, printed material, or anything along those lines, it's also what the actual company produces. The people, the product, the systems, etc...
Culture: We don’t often think of culture being created by the content, systems, and leadership a company has, but that’s what it is. All of that is delivered in different ways, but the culture of a company is what it produces. What it stands for. Obviously, the culture is driven by its people, but it’s introduced by the leadership through the systems that trickle down through the content.
Marketing: This is probably not what you thought marketing would be, but it is. Marketing is the message that is delivered through the content and culture that the company stands for. Think of Apple, think of Tesla, in fact, think of all the companies out there. Regardless if a company wants to deliver one message over another, the message that will ultimately be delivered because of what is perceived through social media and google will ultimately be its reality. So content and culture are the two items that create marketing.
Money: The best marketing delivers the money. Money is what drives your company's growth. Without the income, the company will fail. The money will flow if the marketing is right, regardless of what the product is. An amazing company that has strong leadership, with the right systems, will create amazing content, that will do marketing that connects authentically to the consumer.
Product: More money means more products and it also means more of everything. The product will duplicate, it will grow, it will also change along the way. The more money you have the more opportunities for everyone involved. In fact, you will be able to hire the best people for the company.
People: At the end of the cycle, right before it starts over, is the key to all of this. Relationships and community are nothing without people. We do this for the people. For the people that work for the company and the people, we are trying to reach with our services or product(s). The right talent will always grow the organization.
And then the cycle starts over. The people you hire become future leaders. As long as the vision is in place the company will continue to cycle in the right direction.
Thank you for reading A Brilliant Tribe.
