Every little thing we do leads to something big, whether they are good or bad. Even in business, our small actions, if done regularly, become habits and these habits build the corporate culture of an organisation. Thus, it is important to build good habits early on to be able to achieve huge successes in the entrepreneurial journey.
To begin with, take a look at your existing habits. Record your activities during the week or month and see which ones you should stop, start and continue doing. While it might be easy to tick off which ones you should stop and you should continue doing, the big question is what are the habits that you need to start incorporating in your life?
Here are a few suggestions that you can do, along with some experience shares from successful entrepreneurs.
Create a routine or rhythm
Having a routine works for some, while others may struggle with it. If you are not much of a routine person, have at least a checklist of some activities that you need to do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This allows you to prioritise tasks and focus on more important matters.
For John Anderton, Founder and CEO of Butterfly, one of his business habits are having a great meeting rhythm. A consistent meeting rhythm with your team enables you to align your ideas and actions as well as build strong communication with each other.
Consult a coach or mentor
If you are at the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey or if you are on the crossroads or in the process of transition, it is helpful to have someone guide you to save you on time and effort because it will help you nail things early on. It also adds to your growth and learning to consult with an expert or a more experienced entrepreneur. Make it a point to do meet with your coach or mentor regularly and add it to your calendar. For example, John meets with his business coach every month.
Set short-term, medium-term and long-term goals
Goals are major factors in the success of a business. It’s good to have long-term goals that reflect your vision for your company and then break them down into medium-term and short-term goals. In the case of John, he makes sure that he does and reviews his “articulated BHAG (Big Hair Audacious Goals), 3HAG (3-year Highly Achievable Goals), Financial-year goals and quarterly goals”.
Meditate or commune with nature
It’s good to develop a habit that will help with your mental health, de-cluttering your mind and enabling yourself to focus on your priorities and more important matters. This is why Mark Calabro, Co-Founder of HungryHungry, makes it a habit to do “morning meditation or breathing to clear my mind and focus. I also make a point of parking my car in short time allocations, which forces me to go outside and get some sun and fresh air.”
Practice punctuality
“Be on time.” This is one of the habits of Anthony Holdstock, Director and Owner of Sharp & Carter. It is good time management wherein you budget enough time for preparation so that you will be early in your meetings and business schedules. There’s a sense of calmness when you’re not in a rush as it allows you more time to be ready for what comes next. Moreover, being prompt is also a way of respecting other people’s time as much as you respect yours.
Match your words with your actions
Another habit that Anthony finds useful in running a business successfully is to “do what you say you are going to do (with no exceptions).” Delivering on your promises is something that is not easy to do. But if you are careful in what you commit and being able to carry them out, it enables others to build their trust in you.
It would help to note everything down and include them in your checklist of tasks so that you do not miss the things that you’ve offered or agreed to do. Be mindful of what you assure others that you will perform and make sure that you fulfil them.
Look for win-win outcomes
A valuable habit for Anthony is to “treat people how I want to be treated. Internally and externally, always look for win-win outcomes.” To run a successful business, you have to be conscious of how you deal with people, whether they are your team members, suppliers, third-party service providers, peers, or clients. Find a common ground and respect each other’s uniqueness and ideas.
There are many more good habits that can lead you to wins and successes. Read through the profiles and biographies of successful business people. Listen to their talks and experience shares. Find out what they do that contribute to their thriving companies.
Once you have identified them, see which ones are doable and fit your values and lifestyle. Some habits don’t have to be grand. Remember, big journeys start with small steps. Develop good habits and you will see later on the fruits these habits can produce.