3 Steps to Profitability- Healthy Competition
Achieving profitability is understanding and appreciating your healthy competition partnerships which can make you more successful
Becoming an entrepreneur isnt necessarily easy. But even small victories can make it possible. This is especially true if you understand and effectively compete againstand respectyour competition.
Competitive blood flows strong through the veins of most entrepreneurs. Even at a young age, I recall the drive and desire I had to win my weekly classroom coloring contestsnot only for the satisfaction of being considered artistically talented by my first-grade teacher but for the colorful first-place ribbon that was displayed on my creation.
A feeling of accomplishment filled my little body every time I saw my winning piece in the main hallway for others to admire and appreciate. Looking back I clearly see how my competitive nature shaped my personality, goals and, ultimately, my decision to pursue entrepreneurship.
I entered entrepreneurship much like a competition, with the ultimate victory of establishing my own successful and respected business in the health-and-fitness industry. After launching the business, my time and focus shifted towards marketing. Smart and strategic marketing efforts are vital components to all business plans. I was determined to compose creative, effective and low-cost marketing opportunities to promote my services.
High Gear
With little to no experience in marketing or sales, I concentrated on the resources I had available. I had an iPhone, an iPad and a home computer. I started by setting up social-media accounts for my business and establishing a presence on the web. I love listening to audiobooks during my workouts, so I began listening to audiobooks on sales and marketing for information and direction during workouts and in the car.
The process of building my brand was well underway. As most seasoned entrepreneurs know, this is not a speedy endeavor. It takes long hours, days, weeks and even months to develop and execute successfully. My entrepreneurial competition was off to a slow and steady start but was soon to be kicked in to high gear.
One of my strengths is recognizing and utilizing resources. I really thrive on working smart and not hard. One day I decided to take advantage of free online business marketing websites to promote my services. In the process, I noticed a few small businesses were seeking temporary assistance with their own health-coaching companies.
For a second, I thought to myself, I cant do this! I have my own business that needs me full time. These are my competitors, it would never work out. Then I thought, Why not? Its only temporary and I can earn some money and put it back in to my own business at the same time. So I proceeded forward with caution. I felt my competition had just intensified.
As an emerging entrepreneur, I had zero experience with developing business partnerships with other professionals in my field. The concept of doing business and working with my competitors was very new and quite intimidating at first. However, those feelings soon faded in the face of great opportunities to learn from the experienced and successful professionals in the business. Along the way, I discovered a few key elements that helped me and can help you establish strong and profitable partnerships with your competitors.
