Are you serious about building a great business? Really?

Most entrepreneurs think they are dedicated to building their business.
But I question that.
I think the majority of entrepreneurs are just dabbling. Sure they’d like to have a successful business, but they don’t really crave it.
The problem is that business today is really, really tough.
Unless you absolutely, madly desire to create an awesome business it probably won’t happen.
Competitors that are keener, more fired up, will eclipse you. Customers will sense your lack of fire and choose another supplier. You may get some growth, but you won’t get the hypergrowth that defines a highly successful enterprise.
You need to be really serious to make it in today’s business world.
Here’s a quick test you can do to ascertain how committed you are to creating an extraordinary business:
You need to be able to say Yes to at least 8 out of 10 of these points:

• You think about your business night and day.
• You know all the best companies in your field.
• You are clear on the flaws and weaknesses of your business, and your main competitors.
• You arrive at work early.
• You know your business’s key numbers intimately.
• You are always studying ways to better market your products.
• You are constantly making tiny improvements to how you run your operations.
• You have turned your business into a system. Ideally summarised in a manual .
• You have white hot desire to create a great company.
• When you talk about your business to friends, staff or clients it is with genuine enthusiasm.

So, looking at these, how do you measure up?
Which of these points do you need to work on?
The rewards for building a great business are extraordinary: massive wealth, high self esteem, exemplary lifestyle, kudos from society, significant contribution to mankind.
But you’ll get none of these until you get really, really serious about building your company

What All Entrepreneurs can learn from Subway - Siimon Reynolds

A friend of mine pointed out an interesting move by Subway lately.

They’ve quietly been setting up stores inside Walmarts.

Over 1400 of them in fact.

It got me thinking.

Surely one of the best opportunities to increase your revenues is to sell your products in unusual places, just like Subway are doing.

While you’re competitors slog it out in the same old marketplaces, you could be growing your business in places they haven’t even thought about.

What unusual place could you start selling your services?

It’s worth brainstorming ideas for half an hour.

A health food company might open up stores inside universities .

A caterer might approach an electrician’s association offering discount lunches for all their members.

A lawyer might do a joint venture with an insurance company to offer legal services to their clients.

A book publisher might seek to sell their cooking books in food supermarkets across the country.

A meditation teacher might open a branch inside the Los Angeles Police Department.

When you start thinking about it, it’s easy to think of unusual places to sell your goods and services.

And there’s plenty of reasons why you should:

You’ll have very little competition (Usually none).

You won’t have to discount your products.

It will be easier to expand than via traditional avenues.

So next time you’re thinking about how to grow your company, think outside the square.

Be lateral. Even a little crazy.

It’s that kind of thinking that has made Subway the number one food franchise in the world.

And can make you number one in your field too.