There are a number of key factors unique to the success of every business, and whether your new enterprise makes it, or flops resoundingly, may bedependent on how well you pay attention to these factors and address each one.
Known as the KSF (Key Success Factors), or CSF (Critical Success Factors) of your business, these elements make the most significant contribution towards youachieving your businesses goals and objectives, and how you manage their performance, can determine the overall success of your enterprise. By shifting your focus towards improving them by even just a minimal percentage each week, month and year, you can enjoy more income, more profits, and more success. In fact, just by focusing on one specific success factor, some companies can double their business in a very short space of time.
While there are a variety of key success factors for all types and sizes of business, it is possible to put most of them together into 6 main groups:
KSF No 1: Management
As the owner of a business, you must have the type of mindset, skills, vision and determination to do something for your business, instead of sitting back and waiting for it to do something for you. If you’re valuable enough to your business, the more valuable it will become to you; that’s a given.
KSF No 2: Money
For many businesses, mismanagement of finances, poor planning, and a lack of anticipation and foresight are the main reasons behind their failings. When the right financial information is used in the right way, it can help business owners make better decisions on both a daily and long-term basis, and eliminate the silly money mistakes made by so many.
KSF No. 3: Marketing and Sales
When you routinely test and measure the results of your business, you can consistently improve your outcomes until you reach a point where tested and proven outcomes are easy to predict. Of course there will be some strategies that don’t work for your business, but by understanding the basic and essential principles of business marketing, you can try new things and test them out until you find something that does work.
KSF No. 4: People
Including such persons as key members of your team and partners;when the right people do things in the right way, at the right time, and for all of the right reasons, you can easily build a team that is united and driven, and a business that’s destined for success.
KSF No. 5: Products and services
If you can provide your customers with exactly what they want, from pricing and packaging, to quality, design, production and service, you’ll find them ready and willing to help you achieve your goals.
KSF No. 6: Processes and systems
Crucial for the growth, scaling and expansion of a business, if you can create and maintain a reliable and proven formula for all of your systems and procedures, for every part of your business, success should be within your reach.
Business analysts researching the reasons behind the failure of certain businesses, discovered that the mismanagement of money was a key factor for most, making this an important element to focus on for all businesses striving to achieve their KSFs. However, no matter how well you manage your money, if you don’t pay attention to the other 5 KSFs listed above, your success could well be short-lived.