What does winning look like in your business?
It's a serious question, and too few entrepreneurs know the answer.
The answer can't be "making money". That's like a runner saying he wants to run. Running isn't winning; it's participating.
Like this book I'm reading says "Are you playing to play, or playing to win?"
The ultimate definition of winning can't be an internal measure, of any kind—branch growth, employee count, revenue...even profit. These are all participatory numbers, like a speed dial, rev counter and fuel gauge in a car merely says it's moving. But is it ahead of the others?
Winning is about serving customers brilliantly, and either you are doing it successfully, meaning you're winning, or you're not, meaning you survive for another day.
But is making money not a reflection of customer satisfaction, I hear you say. I don't think so.
Revenue is a poor indicator of customer perception—it's simply a sign of what happened yesterday in your bank account. Making money today does not mean you're going to make more money tomorrow. Money does not tell you what happens at the front end of your business.
Winning means you're crossing the finish line first, and in business that can't be anything other than a satisfied customer. It's not a number in your bank account.
Do you know if your customers are happy with you?
Winning is not a financial measure. It's a customer satisfaction measure. The only way a growing company stands a chance to mature is defining its offering in terms of what it aims to do for customers and whether it manages to execute on it.
Firejuice aims to help entrepreneurial companies do better marketing and will only be successful if customers say that we've indeed done so, for them. It means they'll pay today, and come back tomorrow.
Do you know what winning looks like for your business?