We are now getting into the real business time of year and we must all now review what we have planned to maximize our trading as the holiday season approaches.  Without doubt, the general opinion is that the economic outlook is more optimistic than this time last year.  Just as we can talk ourselves into a depression or recession we can surely promote how well we are doing?  This last year has been the most successful year in my company’s history; we have now truly become a global brand building business. You will see our products in so many expected and also unexpected places – we are in the process of becoming the biggest nail company in the UK again.

This has not come about by accident; but by an incredible amount of hard work by our dedicated team and also some extremely comprehensive marketing and advertising programs. Hopefully you will have all seen the new advertising program we are currently running. I often find it amazing how lucky we are as a company, but I guess the harder we work, the luckier we get. I don’t tell you this just to beat our own drum but also as an example of what you need to do in your daily business life. You can’t beat hard work and planning, I have staff that, without doubt, are prepared to go that extra mile for me and our company.  “Why do they do this?” I ask myself; I guess it’s because the culture and nature of our business is exciting and interesting and we have built a tremendous camaraderie within our ranks.

This is so important as within business you will always be faced with challenges and battles. Rupert Murdoch, the head of the world’s largest media company, tells interviewers that he wakes every day and knows that each and every day will be a battle. In fact, if it were that easy to be successful and make money, then anyone can do it. Do you believe that you are just everyone or do you have that little extra edge that will get you into work earlier than everyone else, staying later in the evening, being extra polite to the last customer of the day just as you would the first. The way you behave when confronted with the challenges that will inevitably come to you each and every day and will determine how successful you are as a business. If you are more interested in the art and craft of our industry then you need to go that extra mile to ensure that you create the best work you can.

Remember though, it can’t stop there, you have to have the best after-care, the best offers to attract new customers and increase the spending of your existing customers.  If you only sell treatments, set a goal to make yourself retail products to increase your business. We all have areas that we are weak in but our strength has to come from improving those areas as much as it does from improving the areas we are already good in or enjoy. One of my team hates to talk in front of an audience but he makes himself present seminars to our customers. I know there have been times when he could have gotten away without delivering these talks, but he makes himself do them because he knows that we need to do these to be successful and he will get better the more he practices. Perhaps given time he can turn this weakness into a strength. You have to push yourself in this life; no one is going to push you for you!!

I hope that you will take on board the advice that I give to you – remember that the easiest way to be successful is to look at other successful businesses and see what they do and copy from it.  You don’t have to copy everything, you can be like a magpie and go from person to person or organization to organization and model some of your behavior on different ones. I can tell you one thing if you find someone who is unsuccessful and unhappy and copy how they behave I guarantee you that you will soon be just as unsuccessful and unhappy as them.  So why would it be any different if you copy the behavior and model yours on successful people, not only in our industry, but in every type of business. I can also guarantee you the harder and smarter you work the luckier you will become.