Business Success – Tips for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

We have spoken to one of our most popular social entrepreneurship speakers, Robert Ashton. He helps businesses come to life, innovate, and grow. He has developed some guidelines appropriate for companies and individuals aspiring to become entrepreneurial.

For entrepreneurial success you now, more than ever before, need to do three things:

1. Define what success looks like to you in simple, explicit measurable terms and don’t be influenced by how others might attempt to define your success on your behalf.

2. Understand and clearly communicate the return on investment your customers will gain from doing business with you – and do it with passion, confidence & conviction.

3. Recognise that social impact is the most important point of difference when price, quality and service are equal.

For small existing businesses with a dream to grow and keep entrepreneurship alive, there are also three key things to keep in mind:

1. Understand why you want to grow – is it to help more people benefit from what you do or simply to make more money? The paradox of small business growth is that during growth, you spend more and make less . . . only by focusing on others do you eventually earn your pot of gold.

2. Growth means delegation; letting go, trusting and developing others. Learn to enjoy recruiting, developing and supporting people, even if they leave you to succeed elsewhere or on their own.

3. When you grow a business, everyone wants to help you, but usually because they want to sell you something you may not need.  Watch your costs!

Robert Ashton focuses on the essence of good and social business. He forces individuals and companies to take a step back, refocus, and then direct energy into making great things happen. He encourages people to be braver and to see the countless possibilities around us. That is the essence of successful entrepreneurship.

Read more from our interview with Robert Ashton!