Why does building business momentum seem so elusive? Do you feel at times as if you are wading through a vat of molasses or as in young people speak – “yuh sticking?” Many business owners could well attest to peaks and troughs in their business but I am describing not even feast or famine but rather a decent meal followed by a long period of famine!

Deep down we all know or at the very least, suspect that there are systems and ways to make  our business truly support us but exactly what is required to get to this level and once there, to maintain it? Are you required to be a genius in your particular sector or maybe proficient in another skill like say – writing – in order to make this happen?

Momentum seems to build when there is strategy, structure and passion. For those business owners who have either volunteered the information or that I have interviewed informally, passion seems significantly absent! There is a lot of focus on getting the strategies and structures in place but this is more of a rigid, disciplined, this-is-a-hell-of-a-lot-of-work – approach devoid of any joy.

Think back to when you first started up. You were excited about developing your business to meet some need of a fairly large client base that would benefit by using your product or service exclusively! I mean – COME ON – you were flat out excited and you felt in your heart of hearts that this was it! You believed in your idea, and you pictured endless people buying from you, while you whistled a happy tune all the way to the bank.

Then reality struck. This was not as much fun as you thought it would be. In fact running a business was turning out to be downright stressful, requiring your ability to cope with anxiety, deal with fear and lug doubt around like a constant companion, wondering whether it was really possible to continue your initial venture.

I believe at this point you had to face up to who you really were. You needed to accept that you had weaknesses and to admit that you needed to ask for help. Some of us have, but I want to talk to those of you, who haven’t yet and are walking around in pain, sticking with “this stinking business” just to save face. Why are you still on the fence? Aren’t you tired of starting from zero EVERY month?

What if you really identified your own uniqueness and that of your business in a way that banished doubt and fear, and attracted just the right people you liked working with to it? What if your customers bought from you way beyond a second purchase and continued to do so – over and over again? What if you were able to offer just the right combination of products and services to your clients?

Too many businesses out there are looking and sounding the same. I call them “ME TOO” companies. If your business does not have a personality then it has no soul. Think about how you connect with those companies that you do business with and like? It’s more than just the product or service isn’t it? Those companies have defined why they are unique and they have a very powerful attraction component that cannot be duplicated. Stop looking at what others are doing.

What are your values and beliefs? All these words have been so bandied about by big-business without substance or essence that when you read them you glaze over and steups. That however does not make them unimportant or that you should disregard the significance of focusing on how you make customers feel. Do they understand your world? Do you take the time to nurture and to communicate your “worldview”?

If you’re tired of the “lil bit of food” followed by days of being hungry then take a second look at your business. Go back to why you started this business in the first place. Think about how you can help your customers walk through your business without obstacles or unnecessary delays. Go back to your principles; revisit your processes and your own theories. And then finally help them apply what you do so that they can live in the part of the world that you’ve created for their full benefit and reward!