What drives inspiration?

Entrepreneur, July, 2004

Without passion, your business is doomed. Want to breathe life into your operation? Follow these tips.

1. Keep dreaming. When you're mired in the day-to-day details of running your company, you might forget why you started your business in the first place: because you had a dream. If you're getting bogged down By tasks that aren't within your realm of expertise-bookkeeping, for example--it's time to take a hard look at your operation. If you can delegate certain tasks to some of your trusted employees, do it. If you need to hire someone to take over some of the details that are bogging you down, start interviewing. Do what you do best: being the confident, creative entrepreneur that you are.

2. Believe in yourself. This might be difficult to do when you've been up all night preparing a sales pitch and nothing but a pot of coffee is keeping you awake. Shake it off. Pick your head up off your desk. Throw on your best professional duds, look in the mirror and put a smile on your face. When you have inner confidence, you'll speak volumes about your professionalism and your reliability before you ever open your mouth. You won't have to take "no" for an answer--because your prospect won't even think to utter the word.

3. Get a tune-up. Assemble your staff, and make a day of hearing their concerns, objections, quandaries and suggestions. Then sit down with your trusted advisors, and decide which areas of your company are most in need of attention. If you need to reinvest in your company by making some changes, now is the time to do it--before one of your competitors does.

4. Mind the details. A passion for details is what separates the most successful companies from the pack. Take a look at your business from your customer's perspective. From the way your support staff answers the phone, to the look of your storefront, to the way you follow up after the sale, every detail of doing business with you should create an unforgettable experience for your customers and make them passionate about doing business with you.

5. Enjoy the ride. Go ahead--infuse your company with passion. Reinvigorate yourself and your employees by touting the benefits of your product or service every chance you get. Make a list of things that are outstanding about your offerings, and post it where employees will see it every day. If you truly believe in your product or service, the whole world will take notice. When you love what you're doing--and your employees do, too--it shows. Your customers, prospects and suppliers will hear it in your voice and see it your smile, and they'll enjoy doing business with your company. So let your passion run wild. Isn't that why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?