by Ryan Edwards, owner of EZR Management

1. Surround

yourself with

good people –

in your

business and in

your personal

life.

Building a reliable staff is

not easy. Putting in the

effort to assemble the best

team will make your job

much easier in the long

run.

Don’t stop creating your

support system at the door

of your office. Strive to

surround yourself with

other successful people to

learn from.

Building a reliable staff is

not easy. Putting in the

effort to assemble the best

team will make your job

much easier in the long

run.

Don’t stop creating your

support system at the door

of your office. Strive to

surround yourself with

other successful people to

learn from.

1. Surround

yourself with

good people –

in your

business and in

your personal

life.

If you’re still

finding your network,

here are some ways to build

those

valuable relationships:

You’ve heard the adage: “Do unto others.” Start by

thinking of ways that you can be useful to others in your

community and in your industry.

Attend industry events. Sit on a board for a non-profit

that shares your interests. Get out of your comfort zone

and you’ll start meeting some fresh faces!

LinkedIn, or a private Facebook group of business

leaders in your industry, are great ways to connect with

professional contacts.

2. Always

think like a

client.

Before you answer a

question, stop and put

yourself in the client’s

shoes. Is your answer still

the same when you look at

it from someone else’s

point of view?

Your business relies on the

partnership of your clients!

Make sure to serve them

better than your

competitors would, or your

competitors will.

2. Always

think like a

client.

Before you answer a

question, stop and put

yourself in the client’s

shoes. Is your answer still

the same when you look at

it from someone else’s

point of view?

Your business relies on the

partnership of your clients!

Make sure to serve them

better than your

competitors would, or your

competitors will.

Any business model that

takes advantage of your client’s

misfortune is a short-term plan

set up for eventual failure.

3. It’s never as

easy as it looks

– but if you

make it look

easy, you’re

succeeding.

Of course, most small business

owners would tell you they love

their life’s work. Yet, no one

always loves the tough stuff that

has to happen behind the scenes.

Every time you handle a problem

with apparent ease (despite

scrambling behind closed doors)

you are reinforcing your clients’

trust. That trust will turn into

positive word-of-mouth and

ultimately fuel your company’s

success.

3. It’s never as

easy as it looks

– but if you

make it look

easy, you’re

succeeding.

Of course, most small business

owners would tell you they love

their life’s work. Yet, no one

always loves the tough stuff that

has to happen behind the scenes.

Every time you handle a problem

with apparent ease (despite

scrambling behind closed doors)

you reinforce your clients’ trust.

That trust will turn into positive

word-of-mouth and ultimately fuel

your company’s success.

Get out of the office. Even after nine years, I still spend

half my day in my truck, face to face with my clients,

colleagues and the Memphis community. Relationships

are key to learning the areas where you can innovate.

4. Stop to

celebrate

wins.

Everyone needs a break, or they

will burn out. What better time

for a breather than when you’ve

accomplished a goal?

The day when I went from

running EZR Management out of

my car to a bonafide office

building was one of my proudest

days. Yet, I treated it as yet

another day at work! Many years

later, I have learned that

important moments like this

should be savored and

celebrated.

4. Stop to

celebrate

wins.

Everyone needs a break, or they

will burn out. What better time

for a breather than when you’ve

accomplished a goal?

The day when I went from

running EZR Management out of

my car to a bonafide office

building was one of my proudest

days. Yet, I treated it as yet

another day at work! Many years

later, I have learned that

important moments like this

should be savored and

celebrated.

Conduct a client survey. If your business is growing, you

may not be able to talk to all your clients personally, no

matter how hard you try. A survey shows that you are

listening and can help you understand pain points for the

folks you serve.

5. Keep

looking

forward.

While I am all about celebrating

successes as a business owner,

I also firmly believe that you

should never stop improving and

innovating.

New tools have a learning curve

for everyone. But they will also

help our clients get their needs

met faster, and help my staff to

streamline our responsibilities

while creating more time to

focus on relationships instead of

paperwork.

5. Keep

looking

forward.

While I am all about celebrating

successes as a business owner,

I also firmly believe that you

should never stop improving and

innovating.

For example, new tools have a

learning curve for everyone. But

they will also help our clients get

their needs met faster, and help

my staff to streamline our

responsibilities while creating

more time to focus on

relationships instead of

paperwork.

Let’s Recap – 5 Steps To Success

1. Surround yourself with good people – in your business and in your personal life.

Let’s Recap – 5 Steps To Success

1. Surround yourself with good people – in

your business and in your personal life.

2. Always think like a client.

Let’s Recap – 5 Steps To Success

1. Surround yourself with good people – in

your business and in your personal life.

2. Always think like a client.

3. It’s never as easy as it looks – but if you

make it look easy, you’re succeeding.

Let’s Recap – 5 Steps To Success

1. Surround yourself with good people – in

your business and in your personal life.

2. Always think like a client.

3. It’s never as easy as it looks – but if you

make it look easy, you’re succeeding.

4. Stop to celebrate wins.

Let’s Recap – 5 Steps To Success

1. Surround yourself with good people – in

your business and in your personal life.

2. Always think like a client.

3. It’s never as easy as it looks – but if you

make it look easy, you’re succeeding.

4. Stop to celebrate wins.

5. Keep looking forward.