Building a Small Business is Like Building a Nest

1 Feb

One task at a time!

Today, as I was working on a consulting project for a client, I watched a bird fly back and forth from a tree outside of my window. I was curious as to what she was doing. It turns out the bird was building a nest, one stick at a time. That got me thinking about not only my own entrepreneurial experience but also the entrepreneurs I’ve consulted with over the past five years. Starting and building a small business is exactly like building a bird nest: one needs to focus his or her attention on one important task, making sure that task is successfully completed before adding a new task.  Failure to complete your initial task will undoubtedly affect all other aspects of the business.

For example, most small business owners want to start acquiring customers immediately. However, without creating the proper foundation to handle customers- automatic lead generation systems, database to track leads, sales process, payment policies, customer complaints, employee and hiring procedures, marketing strategy, vision/mission statement, unique selling proposition- the entrepreneur is already playing catch up. My advice to those of you contemplating starting you own business: spend time focusing on the foundation of your business (the sticks of the nest) before you create a place for customers to visit. Pay special attention to every part of the foundation and ensure it’s completed before adding the next piece. Failure to establish a solid foundation will eventually result in an empty nest (sorry, had to) of customers.

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