Written by: Cheryl Ellemberg, www.abdpromotions.com, www.gilroypromo.com

Having my own business now for a few years, I can honestly say, the true joy of owning my own business is not only my own progress but also that of my clients and colleagues.  It is really a fun experience to see the success of so many around me!  As we are learning something new everyday with social media, it is the old fashioned traits of diligence, self motivation, perseverance and communication that seems to win over time and time again.  To have strong, solid relationships with power partners and clients is a blessing.

Some milestones for success in business that just as important as increasing revenue (In fact, they often lead to increased revenue):

1) Repeat customers – people do business with those they trust.

2) Power partners who are part of your team – work with partners in a complementary fashion.  By providing referrals to those you do business, you not only help your power partners, you remain visible for when there is a need for your products and services.

3) Critical thinking skills – to be able to think ‘outside of the box’ and provide a different perspective, you create a healthy and safe learning environment to be open to many possibilities.

4) Problem Solving abilities – when faced with a challenge, a conflict or a problem, think about what solutions you can offer to help.

5) Evaluation over time – Looking at your own progress with objective markers such as Google analytics, website hits, client base, orders, repeat orders, and profit, you can begin to look at what your processes and outcomes look like.

Watching a business grow, is very much like growing a plant from seed and watching it flourish over time.