When you think about it, now might be the best possible time to be an entrepreneur.
Don’t laugh, even though we’d understand why you’d want to. At first blush an ongoing pandemic might seem like an impossible time to be running a business of any size, and there are definitely a ton of challenges to face just getting through the normal day to day of life.
But let’s remember that some of America’s most successful and enduring companies – names like General Motors, IBM and General Electric – were started in the midst of recessions. They were started by people who wanted to make a mark and make the world better, and that’s the right goal to have no matter when you’re living.
So how do we get started and conquer the pandemic? One way to begin is by moving out of your comfort zone and forgetting any notion of making only incremental gains in your business in the next year or two. Think about what a true quantum leap would look like and dispel any limiting beliefs about what is possible.
Once you have a big, shiny vision of your business future, then it’s time to take a few steps back and figuring out what processes and systems need to exist inside your company to get you to that higher level. Find where you’re having conversion problems, or where you’re pricing might be off. Look closely to find what’s missing procedurally, and start putting together the documents and steps that will fill those gaps,
This is where our belief in the 6 Sigma method of operational excellence comes into play. That framework makes it possible to work every day in small steps to do the things that make it possible for ordinary people to become exceptional in their job duties. That can’t be based around empty goals and guidelines. Instead you set up boundaries and guardrails and, based on all the resources you have available, figure out how to best deploy them to meet your most ambitious business goals.