Are you aiming for business survival - or business success!

I have a favorite saying that I use a lot.  Many business owners are merely "managing to survive."  That saying has a double meaning, because, while the business is just hanging onto its existence by the slightest margin of safety, the reality is business survival is what the business owner has been aiming for, if not consciously, but by the way they run the business.  They typically have an understanding of what their break-even point is for sales, so they seem to strive to achieve that level of sales each week or month.  Guess what?  They usually just make it.  They aim to get enough money in to pay the bills.  Guess what?  They usually just make it.  In business and in life, you usually get what you aim for, or get very close to it.  That is, until something unexpected comes along and your plans get upset.  Then it is often all over, because you don't have any buffer built up to get you through the difficulty.  Because you have just managed to survive, the one big disaster wipes you out.  Not many people succeed in the long run by "managing to survive."

What's different about people who aim to succeed big.  They don't try to just get enough to break even or just enough to pay the bills.  They aim for big, sometimes outrageous targets that are way beyond mere survival.  Guess what?  They often achieve them.  They get so far ahead that they can enjoy business success instead of having to always keep their nose to the grindstone because of the need for constant effort to survive.  Then, if a disaster comes along, they have enough of a buffer to manage to survive and get through the disaster. 

Aiming for business survival is never a good strategy.  Now, more than ever, it's time to strive for business success.  That means developing your business systems for success, so that your business works on autopilot, instead of continuing to work hands-on in your business merely keeping it afloat.  What good is your business to you if you always have to be there for it to survive?  You may as well have a normal job.  You'd probably be better off, with less stress and less to worry about.  

You achieve business success when you aim for it.  When you are only aiming for survival, that's the best you will do.