Do you know the definition of success? Okay, here it is according to the actual definition
suc·cess
Noun
- The accomplishment of an aim or purpose
- The attainment of popularity or profit.
- A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity.
Alright, now that school is out, let me tell you what success really is!
I was giving a talk to a young class of freshman Intro to Business students this last February at our local college and I ask these young students if they could tell me the 3 stages of success in business. I was struck by how imaginative these young future business leaders were about this subject but their responses were still very generic and based on what they have been taught about success. One girl said that “Success was in the eye of the beholder” and said it in a very whimsical manner as if to say money wasn’t even part of the equation. I said, “True, but will the eye of the beholder be able to make payroll, pay commercial insurance premiums, or purchase new equipment and property for growth and expansion?” She had an indignant look on her face to my response but I didn’t blame her for what she said, she was only a student and her young, mushy impressionable brain had not been hardened into a business hustle machine, just yet!
The 3 stages of business success are some things that most people know, but don’t know they know!
Stage 1.
You are doing business and making money and people are wanting to do business with you. You are growing every year and able to either expanded or optimize your operations base on the success of your company. You have a loyal and returning customer base and your reputation is radiating throughout the land as a due diligent business person. You are on track to do even better the next year and all and all, business is good!
Now wait a minute, that sounds like business success in a nut shell. What else could there be?
Stage 2.
Not only do people want to do business with you, they want to be in business with you! Other business people are wanting to be a part of your success. They want to be your supplier, your vendor, your partner, investor, your agent etc. Your success has become so significant that other business people noticing and are now looking to you for their own success. This is the point where you really get to control the board game of business.
Stage 3.
You’ve got haters! Yes, you read that right, haters are an important part of success even though it seems at first to be counterintuitive. I’m not talking about the people who hate you because you do business so poorly, I’m talking about the people who hate you because you are doing so well! Your competition, and people who wished they had done what you are doing all put out some kind of hate toward supper success. People who are jealous or envious of your success tend to hate on you in public or around other people. Don’t worry about this kind of hate. Haters in this regard are your biggest fans and if you look at it in the right light, it’s free advertising! Haters are going to hate but be sure to keep full control of your feeling toward this. Human emotions are the strongest human superpowers there are and being hated for being awesome is so incredibly significate!
Daniel J Bockman
