Recently I talked to a portable sanitation and septic contractor who was kind of down on himself. His equipment was old, he said, but his business was too small to justify new equipment. And he couldn’t afford a heated shop where he could do basic equipment maintenance himself in winter. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any work. He just never had time to do billing, making poor cash flow the main source of his problems. He said he found himself choosing to go out on $150 jobs rather than staying in and sending out $10,000 in billing. It almost seemed like he didn’t believe he deserved to get paid.
On the other end of the spectrum, that same day I read an article in which the author claimed success was purely a matter of believing you deserve it. You have to have a mindset for prosperity, he said. People fly first class, wear designer clothing and buy expensive jewelry because they think they deserve it. His philosophy was, buy that Porsche coupe and your subconscious mind will create the drive in you to make affording it possible.
Both attitudes seem a bit extreme. One believes he can’t afford and therefore doesn’t deserve anything, the other says having it all is simply a matter of thinking you deserve it all.
The successful small business owners I’ve observed have an attitude somewhere between “poor me” and “I’m king of the world.” After all, too many people believing they deserved more than they could afford was what caused many of our nation’s recent economic woes, especially when it came to housing and credit cards.
These days, lenders are more likely to keep you from buying more equipment or anything else than is justified by your income. But that doesn’t mean you have to operate junk held together with chewing gum and duct tape either. Here are some tips on achieving not “wild prosperity,” but “respectable income growth,” through an attitude of success.
Get paid.
Make a date with yourself each week to send out billing. Or hire someone else to do it for you so that you are sure it gets done. Invest in bookkeeping software and learn how to use it. And/or get yourself a good accountant. You’d be surprised how much more fulfilling work can be if you get paid for it.
Charge what you are worth.
On a similar note, don’t always strive to be the lowest bidder. Know what you have to charge to cover your costs and make a fair profit. And don’t fall into a bidding war where even if you win, you’ll lose because you’ll be essentially working for nothing. There will always be upstarts who come along and try to steal customers by undercutting your price. They won’t be able to keep it up, so ride the storm out and courteously take those customers back when the new guy folds up the tent and leaves town or customers learn the hard way that you get what you pay for.
Buy the best you can afford.
If it’s not a top-of-the-line brand new truck, maybe it’s a few years old and no one can tell. Having the tools to do the job right will make you and your employees more confident and the job will be done right.
Keep it clean.
It doesn’t cost much to keep your trucks, restrooms, uniforms and equipment clean and it will make you feel like your company has more value.
Put your name on it.
Have an attitude of pride. If you have the best equipment you can afford and you’re keeping it clean, claim it; be proud of it. Put your company name on it.
Dress the part.
If your equipment looks great but you and your employees are wearing raggedy, dirty, mismatched clothes, this does not say “success” to customers.
Be courteous and confident.
You’ve heard it since you learned to talk: say please and thank you. Adding “yes ma’am” and “yes sir” once in awhile doesn’t hurt either, nor does the occasional, “Is there anything else we can do for you?” An attitude of courtesy is part of an attitude of success. This also means don’t drive on someone’s lawn without asking, arrive without arranging the time before hand or walk on anyone’s carpets with dirty shoes. The golden rule is never out of date.
Become active in your community.
By joining the Rotary Club, sponsoring a youth soccer team or spiffing up your truck for a parade you are showing the community that you are proud of your business. The result will be that you and your employees will stand a little taller, work a little harder and, yes, have an attitude of success.
A FINAL THOUGHT
If you slowly make positive changes in how you run your business, you will look and feel more successful, and then I believe your subconscious just might lead you to greater prosperity. Think yourself rich? Maybe not. Become more successful by adopting a more professional attitude? Absolutely!
