You’re here. Where do you go next?
You’re working nonstop to keep the business going, but you’re not sure how to move it forward.
This is the part no one talks about. You’ve got the business up and running. You can see exciting signs you’d like to follow up. You’re proud of what you’ve built and feel sure there’s more to come,
But how? Where? Do you abandon what you’ve built, keep doing more of the same, some combination, what combination?
And all those voices giving you such confident advice when you were planning the business? They’re gone. Or they offer only platitudes: Scale! Follow the customer! Seize the opportunity!
Sure, you’d love to. But how? Is it right for your business? And how will you know?
That’s why we created the Paddling Furiously Business Bootcamp. For busy business owners like you. To help you grow your business, your way.
A problem everyone faces
You planned every element of your launch and now, here you are; you’re really in business. Sure, you thought about what might come next: probably some cool new product, or a fantastic addition to your core service; maybe you’d expand to a new market.
Instead, your post launch to-do list means addressing some issue you didn’t see coming, fixing something you hadn’t known to address… and trying to find the time to do even that.
Meanwhile, like most young businesses, you think you’re the only one
- The only one facing these surprises
- The only one who’s growing… okay, but maybe not what you’d hoped
- The only one who’s so busy reacting to customers, to business issues that you can barely figure out what’s going on now, let alone plan for the future
Guess what? You’re not. Almost everyone faces this. They just don’t talk about it. Because they’re so sure everyone else has it figured out.
Growing a business takes thought, focus… and time
Too often, young businesses think they’ve got to do something, anything.
And those “how I succeeded” stories always involve a crucial decision, that point where the embattled entrepreneur boldly decided to:
- Double down on the original business plan. But what about all the things you didn’t know then, everything you’ve learned, your lingering questions?
- Give up and “pivot”. Pivot to what? If you’re honest with yourself, you’re not quite sure what’s working and why, or what you might lose.
- Try something – anything – new.. What can you add / change / tweak / try that might intrigue customers, get you in front of a new audience, test out a new approach. Who knows if it will work, or why it might. No idea if any customers, let alone yours, want it, but it will shake things up.
Sure, some businesses make these big decisions, and sometimes it works for them. But, more often, sustainable business growth is due to a series of smaller, important adjustments, decisions made based on understanding of the market, knowledge of the customer and a sense of where you’re going.
Don’t look for answers; ask the right questions
You worked hard to launch your business. Talked to customers, did the research, planned, tested and revised. And it worked! Here you are.
But it was all a hypothesis, something you thought you believed, but hadn’t tested. Now you know so much: about your customers, competitors, product, staff.
You also know you’ve got to move forward. But where’s the plan for that? What’s your next step. How do you know?
You’re looking at your business reports, whatever scattered data you have, other companies – where are the answers?
But it’s not about answers; it’s about questions. Ask yourself the right ones, ones that make you think, and maybe even a little uncomfortable.
You know the answers; they’re right there, in the business you run every day. You just have to know the questions to ask to find them.
You’re not too busy
That may sound good, but who has the time. You have a business to run. A business that constantly confronts you with issues and questions and choices, until you can barely think about what’s in front of you, let alone what’s ahead.
Our Business Bootcamp was built for you. No big homework, nothing to study. Just a series of provocative questions that, if you answer honestly, may help you come unstuck, figure out where you want your business and what’s keeping you from getting there.
Keep it simple. And practical. Join us.
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