Strengthening Strengths and Reviving Your Online Business

We all have strengths. The things you are good at, shine or excel at. They may be hard wired into who you are or been a result of training. I asked myself this question, and I’d like to share it here with you. How are you continuing to grow and be challenged? What if you could learn another skill in your business? Something that you are interested in and believe you could be good at if you worked at it and got some training? In this post I’ll share a common trap many fall into when it comes to running their online business, and a solution. May this serve as another way to revive your online business.

Strengthening Strengths and Reviving Your Online Business

About 10 years ago I read a book that was a game changer for me. It put forth a concept stating (and I paraphrase) that most people spend time trying to improve something that is a “weakness”, when what they should be doing is improving a strength. What is an entrepreneur to do?

A Common Trap for Entrepreneurs

Do everything, delegate nothing. I know, I have done it, and for this I remain susceptible. By doing it all, all the time, the businesses growth potential will be constrained. I believe there is timing in everything.

You have to “work yourself out of a job” hiring when there is revenue to support it.

The “work 18 hours a day” approach of operating your business doesn’t give you the life you were aiming at when you became an entrepreneur, and leads to burn out. Which brings me to the next point.

Shoot for a Balanced Approach

Focus on improving what you are good at while maintaining a long-term view. Aim to outsource things outside of your core strengths, or the things you don’t enjoy doing. Look at a project and say, I will do what it takes to make this profitable, and having Functions A, B, and C outsourced in 90 days.

Some Thoughts about Passion

Passion is important in business, you should enjoy love what you do, but it isn’t anything if it is not matched with a skill. I might love looking at financial reports and numbers, but that doesn’t mean I’ve the skills to become a bookkeeper, accountant, or CPA.

I may have a passion for online marketing and the dream life that it represents for me, but if I have no experience or skills with website building, email marketing, SEO, traffic driving, or pay-per-click marketing, conversion, video marketing, project management, etc. then there is a gap, that can only be filled by skill development or outsourcing.

The inverse is also true, you can have the skills for something, but have no passion. This is equally problematic.

Let’s not confuse passion with skill.

The great thing about skills is that many can be developed, and that brings us to the next item, discovering your strengths to strengthen.

Questions to Find Out What You Are Good at

Before I list them, let me refer you to the book I mentioned earlier, called Now, Discover Your Strengths, the updated version is called Strengths Finder 2.0. If you purchase the book they give you an access code that you use to take a strength assessment on their website, though I haven’t taken their particular online assessment, it sounds very cool.

Everyone’s situation is different, of course, but these are the broad questions I would ask and to whom I would ask them. They don’t necessarily have to be “work” focused, personal responses can be indicators of a neglected strength.

Customers (skills): What are we/I good at (skills)? What would you like to see more of from me/us? Ask them to identify 3 areas.

Family/Friends (strengths): What have you observed my top 3 strengths to be? What have you observed my strengths to not be? Is there something you could see me being successful at that I’ve not yet attempted?

Listen closely, and take notes, ask additional questions for clarification. Try to listen without bias or pretense.

Identify Overlap: Of the skills oriented responses customers gave, and the strength feedback from family and friends, is there overlap? Is there an opportunity to apply strengths to new or potential skills that have been ignored or undeveloped? Which one gets you most fired up?

Example

Customers told Bob that he is good at fixing problems, and has great communication skills especially in a team setting. Family and friends indicated that Bob is compassionate, willing to help at a moment’s notice, and they always thought he would be great with non-profit organizations.

Bob’s Response: He is now evaluating schedule changes to allocate more time to his favorite non-profit by leading groups (skills) from his church on inner-city mission work (strengths).

Bob’s example may not be you, per se, but if you invest the time to discover and strengthen your strengths, you’ll not only apply yourself better, but you’ll get better results, doing so with more energy and fulfillment.

Feedback? Input? Additions? Chime in below.

Other posts in this Online Business Revival Series:

• Reviving Quitting
• Blog Revival
• Reviving More Profits
• Knowing Your Numbers
• Traffic Revival
• Getting More Newsletter Subscribers
• The Problem with Your Autoresponder
• How to Get More Traffic by Recycling Blog Content

Image Credit: Superfantastic