Building Your Business for the Long Haul

Building a meaningful and sustainable organization that will impact your community, your industry, and the lives of those around you is a marathon and not a sprint. Even in our fast pace, technology-driven world, slow and steady still wins the race. Of course slow is relative. However, steady is essential for success in the "long haul."

Business is all about value creation and in basic terms, value creation means creating revenue, which exceeds expenses, which results in a profit. Peter Drucker expanded this idea of business value creation when he said, "Indeed the modern organization was expressly created to have results on the outside, that is, to make a difference in its society or its economy."

Patience and Persistence

"Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." - Napoleon Hill

Planning for the long haul requires patience and persistence. Patience doesn’t always mean a slow pace but it does mean that you stick to a plan long enough for it to work. In the world of content marketing I often see even experienced business leaders chase the next shiny trend and leave a good plan before it can get traction. I have also experienced the dividends paid when a business owner is patient enough to give a content marketing plan time to work. This patience and persistence resulted in building a new warehouse to accommodate new growth.

Long-Term Planning

When planning for the long haul it requires a different perspective. Louisville, Kentucky and our surrounding areas includes the spirits industry. From century old bourbon distilleries to the relatively new wineries, the spirit industry is alive and well in the "Bluegrass State." The spirits industry is a great example of the importance of long-term and annual planning. Some of these successful organizations had to work a plan and wait for years before realizing any revenue from there efforts. That takes proper funding, planning, and a lot of patience. Therefore, I believe there are lessons to be learned in long-term planning from this industry.

There’s No Substitute for Time and Experience

While the spirits industry call it "The Art of Aging," I believe that there are no true substitutes for time and experience regardless of industry. This is one reason why seasoned business owners are able to quickly get perspective when a "storm hits." They’ve seen it before and understand that panic and knee-jerk decision making is not the best path for their organization. Instead, they make methodical informed decisions that align with their long-term plans and mission.

Here at The Squad we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. Bryce Raley founded Simplified Solutions, LLC which became The Content Squad, DBA a little over six years ago. Last year we rebranded to The Marketing Squad, DBA. While we have adapted in name and methodologies, our long-term plan as well as Bryce’s vision for our organization remains very much in tact.

Let us know if you would like to discuss how we can help you achieve your long-term plans and vision for your organization.