What’s your definition of success? No…not theirs, yours. Let’s start from there

What’s your definition of success? No…not theirs, yours. Let’s start from there.

 They say the best diet is the one you stick to. Somewhat reductionist I guess, but sure. 

Personally I reckon it’s better to figure out why you’re putting yourself through a diet in the first place. Figure out why it’s worth sticking to, then find one that’s fits. Tip: the ones that stick are almost always motivated intrinsically. Within, not without. How someone else appears is neither a reliable source of inspiration, nor a truthful one. Much less realistic for your life.

Tip 2: Seems to me the longer it takes to explain a diet to someone, the less likely it’s going to be the ‘one you stick to’…complexity is the death of inspiration. 

I'm not giving diet advice (unless anyone wants to pay me for it?). I am a Fractional COO & CFO who finds the analogy useful, particularly at an SME / owner & founder level. 

You started a business, maybe bought in, jumped on board with a powerful, if a little fuzzy desire for ‘success’. A whole organisation is now tethered to it. But can you or anyone else honestly define success? Or better, use it to make actual decisions? 

When I finally asked myself what professional success is (only took 20 years), it was actually really simple -helping. Actually helping companies reach their success by supplementing what they may lack - or lack bandwidth for. 

Analytically minded, financially ‘bent’, pragmatic, measured, deeply practical. I love to hear about your vision, but my mind goes straight to finding a route- to action, one foot in front of the other. Finding pathways is my ‘success’. The journey is the destination, as they say. 

The reason it’s so important? Well as it relates to me at least (it’s my post after all) is that without a genuine, intrinsic, base motivation - I can’t do my part well. 

Does improved cashflow, better results, a faster growing business mean the chance to open a new location? Invest? Acquire? Find the talent that’ll turn this joint into the powerhouse of its potential? Is it material motivation? (that’s ok btw). Or something more personal, more legacy.

Now we know where to start. Top line or bottom, COGS, overheads, org design, margins, marketing & activation, trade spend, capital deployment. Options I’d love to help with. But wrong motivation = wrong symptom = wrong treatment. 

Careful though, even wrong treatment can bring some short term relief. ‘Caffeine highs’ masquerading as success, which won’t last. And to the point about complexity - things get complex real fast when no one understands success. 

I’m not in this for the short term. If you’ve made it this far- neither are you.