Where Do You Want Your Business to Go?

Stop.

Take a few minutes and think about the future of your business.

How do you envision your business in three, five, 10 years?

How will it transition? Grow? Thrive?

You done?

Great, now focus on where your business is right now.

Seth Godin often writes about Dips and Gaps. His thoughts are about understanding what you are capable of as a business owner, when to throw in the towel, and how to envision that gap between your reality and your possibility. “Possibility” is the vision of your future business.

Seth states that if you ponder the space between your current business and your future business as a chasm, abyss, or gully, you will stop, frozen in your tracks. You’ll be overwhelmed by the perceived weight of the tasks needed to bring your business to the next level.

If you get stuck like this, your business will never move to the next level. And if you think of your vision (your future business) as unattainable, you’ll be just as stuck in the mud.

I agree with Mr. Godin.

So… what is the not-so-secret secret to win?

Just keep moving, slowly, focused, determined. Stop visualizing the vast gap as a giant space you can’t get across. Start thinking of the space as a series of smaller spaces you can easily leap over, one by one. And today, create a plan for your first steps.

It’s also important to be hyper-aware of the business opportunities that present themselves to you, so you can take advantage of them instead of them just passing you by.

This is how you should approach brand-building and marketing…

ALWAYS look for opportunities.

ALWAYS look to ramp-up.

ALWAYS keep your eye on the ball.

As Seth Godin has stated, “The most likely paths are the ones where you can see the steps.”

And Mr. Godin’s wise words have everything to do with branding, marketing, and business.