How to Win in Business
I just want to start this off by saying I’m no guru or master at this. I just know what I feel and have experienced. Those experiences have improved me in so many ways, and while I am on my own journey of growth, I wanted to share some of the things I have come across because it may help someone else on their journey.
I’ve been a business owner for a little over 6 years now. It’s not long, even though it feels like it, but over that time I have experienced and learned from a lot of situations I would have never even thought possible.
Recently, I was asked to be the keynote speaker at an event for new business owners. My first thought was “who the hell wants to hear from me.” A little imposter syndrome came out I guess. While I feel like I am still growing and learning to be a great leader and am still figuring it out every day, apparently there are a lot of things that each of us know, even unknowingly, that others have yet to learn. It’s a bit like the old cliché saying I used to hear from my grandfather. “I’ve forgotten more than you’ll ever know.”
We All Start Somewhere
We all assume others know what we know, but they don’t. My nephew interned with us and didn’t know what an invoice was. I had to explain it’s like the receipt you get at a store, but it still needs to be paid. It blew my mind I had to teach that, but it hit me. We all start somewhere, and sharing what we’ve learned matters. That’s why I said yes to the keynote. I’ve got scars, and maybe they’re worth hearing about.
While figuring out what to say, I realized every business owner online, myself included, asks the same stuff. They want to know how to market, get leads, and run ops. That’s the grind, and yeah, it matters. I’ve seen it with Synctivate. We’ve had 6 years of clients, some who soared, some who crashed. I spoke to about 100 new founders at that event, all hungry but scattered. Most were stuck on tactics, not the big picture. I’ve been there. I started Synctivate on a whim, taking any client who’d pay, learning ops the hard way. But ops don’t make or break you. You can have the best systems, but if you don’t care about your team, clients, or work, no playbook saves you. I landed on one main topic, something I believe trumps all the amazing processes, wonderful systems, and experienced staff you can hire. It’s care.
Care’s the Difference
I’ve had wins I thought were impossible, flops that gutted me. Synctivate’s taught me one truth. Care trumps systems, processes, staff. You can have the best playbook, but if you don’t care, it’s trash. When we sign a client, I tell my team to picture their logo on our shirt. Their success is ours. We pick quality of clients over quantity every time. We’ve got a client who needed a custom archiving solution. It involved historical data with big stakes. We didn’t just build it. We lived their problem and made sure it worked for their future. Care’s why I’m here, not chasing every buck.
Most businesses don’t care. It’s harsh but true. There’s a real lack of caring out there, especially with a large portion of business owners. You call for a service, and they ghost you. It happened to me. I’ve been waiting two weeks on a flooring quote for our house. During our home build, the sales guy was all-in pre-contract but vanished after the contract was signed. Lack of care kills. Contrast that with a Synctivate client who got back to us same-day on a tight deadline. We cared, they cared, and it worked. I’ve got a vendor who always picks up the phone, even on a Sunday. It’s rare, but it’s why we stick with them. Care gets you there.
Care Starts With You
Lots of folks think “don’t care” is rare. It’s not. It’s the rule. The exceptions are the companies that care. Those are the unicorns. I could go on and on about bad experiences dealing with companies, but the ones that stand out are the ones who give a damn. I’m trying to be one with Synctivate. Care’s why I spoke at that keynote, why I’m writing this. Founders, leaders, whoever you are, care more. It’s the one thing that’ll make your biz worth it.
One of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a business owner, even if you care more than anyone out there, is what Naval Ravikant states is the hardest to overcome in business. It’s getting employees to think like owners. You may care deeply about your clients and your business, but do your employees? I personally do not expect my employees to do everything I would for a client. By this, I mean answer their phone calls outside of normal work hours. I’ve worked on an issue for a client while sitting next to my newborn in the hospital. Yes, I did that. I also don’t expect my employees to work 60, 70, or 80 hours a week. But I do expect them to be ready to jump in the trenches with me when there is a battle we need to fight. It’s a balancing act of what Marcus Aurelius once said. “Be tolerant with others, but strict with yourself.”
Care starts with you. Show it, and they’ll follow.