Are you
growing the
most important
asset in your
business?
Hint: You're it!
Busi Raphekwane
When entrepreneurs start a business,
the majority would think about
developing a great product or service,
ensuring that it is known in the market,
exploring how this will generate an
income, seeing how the business will
grow and sustain its profitability from
these products and services, hiring
the right people etc. While these
fundamentals are important to consider,
there is one critical question to ask:
"How do you as an entrepreneur grow
yourself to ensure that you remain an
asset to your business?'' While manymight say that finances are the backbone
of the business and cash flow the life
blood of the business, I believe that
the entrepreneur is the ''engine'' of
the business. This principle has been
proven many times, when potential
investors want to invest in the business,
they often say that they do not only
look at the potential and performance
of the business; what is important to
them is the entrepreneur behind that
business. They are saying: ''Bet on the
jockey (entrepreneur) not the horse (the
business/idea/product)''.MARKETINGIn this vehicle called your ''business",
you are the engine that determines
the destination of thebusiness, its
performance, its speed, its effectiveness
etc. In all vehicles, the engine is the
most valuable asset and without it,
the vehicle is worthless and nothing
moves. The performance of this vehicle
is determined by the quality of its
engine and the quality of the engine is
determined by how well it's maintained.
Therefore, personal growth can be
seen as the process of maintaining the
engine of the business as the most
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