Another year has almost gone? How is your overall profit looking? Maybe it’s not quite what you had expected for the year. Well, step it up! Encourage yourself and employees to think outside the box the way many successful big and small fish companies have. Yes there may be failure but from failure you’ll learn and grow. “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates.
Get together with your employees and take a look at your company; what would they change? You hired them so I hope you have some interest in what they really think. Drive out the fear! Create an atmosphere in which employees are not afraid to ask questions or to point out problems. “When employees and employers, even coworkers, have a commitment to one another, everyone benefits.”-Donald Trump.
Here are some business stories to get everyone’s creative juices flowing:
CNN- Ignoring market research, Ted Turner, launched the Cable News Network in 1980.
No one thought a 24-hour news network would work.
Coca-Cola- During WWII, Robert Woodruff, president of Coca-Cola, committed to selling bottles of Coke to
members of the armed services for a nickel a bottle. Customer loyalty never came cheaper.
Diners Club- In 1950, when Frank McNamara found himself in a restaurant with no money, he came up with the idea
of the Diner’s Club Card. The first credit card changed the nature of buying and selling throughout the world.
Netflix: After years of experimentation Reed Hastings, creator of Netflix, found the perfect unity between flimsy discs, USPS and the internet. By taking the ideas of Blockbuster and Amazon.com he created a new idea that became a household name.
The above proves that taking an idea and running with it can equal big bucks and big biz success. So get out the white board and put together a meeting. Write down all thoughts and see what you come up with, you never know.