If ever there was a buzzword about personal growth, becoming more “mindful” about ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally, and thereby learning about who we are and what our motivations might be, is the one. Is growing your business the same?
Is it as simple as planting your magic beans; watering them and watching the shoots extend until you can climb your beanstalk, grab the golden egg laying hen and then climb down again? What happens when the giant follows you down? Are you still able to proceed once the structure has wobbled and snapped in response? Being more “mindful” of the business – its strengths and weaknesses – and learning how to respond to them is one way of growing it.
Any business should be built on the firm foundations of financial viability; belief and passion for the product or service endorsed by market research; robust technical and operational logistics and run by employees whose input is both recognised and valued. So far, so what?
It is a popular recipe.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
However watertight the initial business plan, the inability to develop and evolve; adapt, thrive and therefore grow and, more simply, the lack of knowledge in order to achieve that, will render the business a far less stable long term prospect.
Martin Croft founded The Thought Business seven and a half years ago. Using a process called “agile transformation”, The Thought Business helps organisations that have seemingly stagnated, and those within who haven’t been able to see past personal stumbling blocks thereby hindering business growth. He says that “whilst the learning curve is steep, it transforms self-understanding, and by default produces the best results from those in the organisation around them.”
“Embrace your mistakes, they allow you to learn.”
At Blue Door Bespoke, from every project we undertake – whether it’s probate asset disposal, downsizing a property, (in whole or in part), or a site assessment or Zoom consultation, we always learn something new. Some of the items we unearth neither the owner nor their family have any knowledge about. They have no historical reference, link or memory. By keeping an open mind, researching where and what we can, we can quite often discover an items provenance, and any value – financial or sentimental – that it might have. There have been small, perfectly preserved books by an obscure poet; original posed photos (as it transpired) of British and Dutch officers during the Boer War; unmarked china plates; Japanese teacups with illegible markings – the list is endless.
Every item tells its own story and the learning is fascinating. And all of these could easily have been discarded or hurled into the recycling if it wasn’t for a little curiosity, our attention to detail and the constant desire to do our absolute best for our clients.
“If you want to be a writer, read as much as you can.”
Learn & Grow:
An old man is selling watermelons. His price list reads
1 for three dollars 3 for ten dollars
A young man stops and asks to buy one. “That’ll be three dollars” says the old man.
The young man buys another one, and yet another one still, paying three dollars for each.
As the young man is walking away, he turns, smiles and says – “Hey old man – do you realise I just bought three water melons for only nine dollars?
Maybe business is not your thing.”
The old man replies – “People are funny. They always buy three water melons instead of one, yet they keep trying to teach me how to do business.
Thank you for reading and most importantly, stay safe and well.
Best Wishes –
Claire
