I started reading and researching about business performance since over Ten Years ago. The main trigger was the deep desire I had to leave 8-5 employment system and start my own business.

But I guess this urge to join business had started many more years ago since when I was in grade Six of our 8-4-4 education system. That is when I bought my first chicken because I had interest of starting to sell eggs.

Before my grade Six I actually had taken one year prior, seeking how to get capital to buy the chicken. It means my ambitions for business had started much earlier. Quite surprising when I think about it today.

My research about business performance has build in very interesting results. Beside research, for the past 10 years I have started and run over 5 businesses all of which failed and now got onother one picking up well for last two years. When I look back, regardless of pain experienced during the season of loss, I feel it was meant for a time like this to build others through those experiences.

I have also been privileged to meet and interact deeply with mentors that have succeeded much in their businesses. This again has added great honour to what I know today.

How hungry are you

What set you to start your business might be a reason you are not sure of until this date. However, this journey has consumed you and you are now into it. It therefore calls that you need to identify your hunger for doing business and doing business that is set for growth.

How hungry are you to run business with main aim of growing it.

That matters from here to the world. That is how much it matters. It will set you apart like moving from a machine operator to becoming the consultant of how the machine is run.

These are two different positions which yield totally different dividends. Shift your seat to be a thinker of your business.

Some of the main things that have mostly been denying you opportunities for such includes;

· Doing business for daily food and some merry go round mentality

· Availability of short-term deals that keeps shifting your line of strategy

· Lack of creating time for the right mentorship/learning

· Setting yourself to compete with other small fellow businesses instead of competing with universe mentality

· Lack of knowledge of the importance of growth support pillars

· Lack of long-term view on how change takes place

The universe

The universe is defined by the world population. Currently the world population stands at 8.7 Billion people. That is huge. Counting one person after the other.

Your business serves like 100 repeat customers. These 100 represent very small number of humanity preferences upon which products and services of customers are designed.

It means your universe is mostly nonexistence.

Then when you set to do business from non-existence universe you will find yourself set like water in a jar trying to pass through small outlet. Putting fish meant to swim in major liver inside a jar. Choking in deed ?

This can only create stress to your system, frustrations and just mere existence. Your small business will stagnate and later exit.

Setting your mind with a view of the universe will start by giving you fresh air and new beginning. World of opportunity defined by the very different and diverse preferences of 8.7 Billion people in the world.

Global village

Those brands which have discovered the universe and its population preferences and taken advantage of the web that has made the world a global village can only grow limitless.

Imagine brands like Wools Worth, Cocacola, CNN, Equity Bank and many more. They were once products of few passerby until the owner realized that they can satisfy same human preference existing in the world.

Pillars that can blasts your business growth

I wrote about businesses bleeding without your control in recent letter . This was showing why lack of understanding on key control point for business growth have left many frustrated.

Many business leaders have never understood the real point of control to trigger synergy and growth.

We believe design of prime operations that should drive your business is the sole epitome to regain control of the direction you want your business to take.

No wonder many businesses have a free flow system that yield very minimal results. They only experience same customers year in year out, same level of sales and ultimately start draining because you have tried lots of means but not working. Actually, you start losing sales which is the primary reason you started the business.

 At this level it is my believe you already have product or service designed and running.

Lets dive into these pillars;

#1: Clear customer acquisition system

Your product or service will become universe product if you define how you want to acquire your customers. This is called defining the customer acquisition journey.

Your customer need to be a person that you can describe with a very high level of clearness. This involves some basic but very crucial steps;

· Imagine and define the profile of your targeted customer. The profile means you can describe elements like gender, income band, where is he or she found.

· Describe the activities that are in tandem with the customer you have imagined that would help you get their leads . Example, a profile indicating your customer to be a working-class woman may lead to connecting with them through visits to salon shops. This is real hustle of thinking. Imagining about where you can get leads of your true customers, not easy at all, but the moment you master it, your flow get momentum. Thinking is the main job for a business makers.

· After getting the leads create list of sales activities you plan to do on them. This would vary from making direct calls, sharing fliers with them and others.

· Set some minimum sales targets so that you can establish an element of monitoring if your activities to reach customer are working optimally or not. This will set background of continuous improvement so that you can reach perceived targets

#2: Clear customer service processes

You have conquered and the customers have started to flow in to your business. You are now dealing with brand new strategy of customer acquisition and is working wonders.

The element of serving and retaining these customers is abig element. Actually processes for serving these customers becomes onother set of bringing in more customers through referrals.

To achieve this, work on some combinations;

· Create clear customer journey processes plan from entry into business to the end where you thank customer and bid them good bye. These processes should be set on basis of customer value and not on basis of convenience of the business operators. Example, fact that accountant want his or her confidence on a transaction should not warrant introduction of process that would keep customer waiting for the service approval.

 · Create and document standard operating procedures for customer service points. These are simply guidelines for use by everyone and ensure consistency of customer service by all operators within your business.

 · Create clear customer complaint standard operating procedures. This is very critical in ensuring that communication between your customers and business is real and life. This has been ignored by many but is one key back bone

#3: Clear management structure for business money

Starting with Small businesses, the issue of how business money is handled has caused death of many more businesses than any other thing.

Small business operators have found themselves unable to control their spending pattern. Banks have atleast helped by creating some sort of convenience in banking from comfort of your seat. But again whenever money enters bank, business owners cannot help from arbitrary spending creating unnecessary burden to business and later exit.

You are in business for money. Business is asking to respect it’s money and it will reciprocate.

Small structure would help;

· Have clear operation guideline of flow of money from point of sale to utilization on business activities

· Create list of statutory compliance items and their deadline. This may include payment of Value added Tax, medical schemes and others

· Create list of investment plan for surplus cash from business

Remember that building business is never about being all over with activities trying to fire fight .

Building business is about imagining where you want to go in long term and starting to build one block at a time.

This will never fail. This will surprise you how your universe realigns to accept your products or sevices.

I hope this was worth. That is it for this note.

- Gachoka

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