Most of us are on the lookout for new ideas and techniques that will boost our home-based businesses. We want to find the next big (or little) efficiency that will help us make more money or at least run a better business. But, while we are in the process of searching for great new ways to do things, and learning about what works for other small business entrepreneurs, we need to also pay attention to what DOESN’T work—so we won’t be repeating mistakes…
I find that when reading business-related articles and books—people are more than willing to share their mistakes, bumbles, and what didn’t work—just as much as they share what did. Instead of feeling like I am completely on my own, or in need or reinventing the wheel—I can learn from other people’s mistakes if only I am willing to pay attention.
Additionally, we can learn from our own mistakes—in my years of working with nonprofit organizations, I often found that the organizations repeated some of the same mistakes over and over again. When personnel would change, or enough time passed—they would forget what they had tried before and how it didn’t work the first time and repeat the same mistakes all over again! Keep track of your own failures or things that do not work so well in your business, so that you will not be tempted to “commit” the same mistakes all over again at a later date.
Of course, some of us really need to try things for ourselves and are determined that just because something didn’t work for someone else doesn’t mean it won’t work for us. Sure, this might be the case—but take good notes so that if it doesn’t work, you’ll know why for yourself too!
Also: How Will Your Decisions Affect the Future?
Figuring Out Why Something Failed