Working in the dark teaches you important things about your small business
If you have ever worked in a dark room on your computer, you will know how difficult it can be to see the keys and keep your typing skills working effectively. When you are not an expert typist, it is easy to use your eyes to type and keep your hands in the right place simply by using visual clues – but you soon find out how much you need to improve your skills.
I think I know what I’m doing in my business
Like typing in the dark, your business can also seem to be operating efficiently, until you have one of those times when you need to operate in the dark. In small business, those dark times could be when a key team member becomes ill, a computer system goes down, or when something changes the flow of your business. Many retail operations have felt this when the street their business is located on goes under construction. It’s times like this that show us how efficient our preferred client database really is.
The value of knowing how strong your business is
Dark times are a great time to test your business. Your business systems and procedures need to be able to handle those times when things upset your natural flow of business. Without looking at this, you can loose revenue, credibility and profit. The good news is: You don’t have to wait for a dark (lights out) experience to happen to your small business, you can make them happen yourself. How?
Simple: If you want to see how the business would do without a key player (like yourself), give them (or you – if you can handle it) a day off and see what happens. By the end of the day, you will have a clear vision of how strong your business really is. All kinds of interesting things can happen – some things may even be positive. New leaders may emerge to take control to get things done, or your team may simply adjust quickly and effortlessly to compensate. Regardless of what you find out, you will feel more confident about what you need to do to make your small business stronger if some fissures do show up.