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Success isn't about spontaneous combustion. Set yourself on fire!

"Results? Why, man I have gotten a lot of results. I know 50,000 things that won't work." So quipped Thomas Edison in 1921.
It's still true today that we do learn from our mistakes — but happily also from successes. So I asked a sampling of the winners of the 2008 Dane County Small Business Awards to share their biz tips with us.

Focus on customers and employees
"As a small business, we have to measure success in different ways," noted the partners of Kipp's Down Home Cookin' in Madison. "The financial gains might not reflect how successful you are, but your impact on employees and customers can. Last week, a former employee called us from South Korea, where he teaches. He called to thank us for being his family and support while he was a student at Edgewood College. He felt we played an important part in him completing school and getting the job he now enjoys. As a small business, we can touch employees' and customers' lives in ways that money can't."

Janeen M. Smith, All Creatures Veterinary Hospital, Fitchburg, offered: "My best advice is to try to visualize every aspect of your business from your clients' perspective. How are they greeted on the phone? How long are they put on hold? What happens if a client shows up five minutes after you have locked the doors? Make sure you and your staff are polite, empathetic, and go the extra mile."

Suggested Kurt Sippel, Applied Tech Solutions, Madison, "We have tried to hire employees who balance the culture of our business. When a team comes together, you can feel the energy. It boosts office morale, which directly impacts the bottom line. One of the most rewarding things to watch is when employees 'play nice', support, and encourage each other to grow personally and professionally beyond where they were when they started. We have had some trials and errors in hiring, but have reached the point where we have a team I am proud to be part of."

Matt Collins, Mayo Corp., Madison, added, "We have learned the keys to success are dedication, enthusiasm and people. You must be enthusiastic about your work and about the lives of the people you work with and serve. Surround yourself with people who share your enthusiasm and allow yourself to be inspired by them. You must also become involved in the larger community outside the limited circle associated with your business."

Put P2 [perseverance + passion] to work
Sippel noted, "Being in business is not for quitters. You have to be able to take your lumps, learn your lessons, but remain true to your integrity and commitment to succeed. If you're not up for a challenge, business ownership is not for you."

Laura C. Meffert, Pineview Veterinary Hospital, Waunakee, remembers those struggles well: "I told my undergraduate advisor I wanted to be a veterinarian. His comment? 'Veterinary school is very competitive and they accept a limited number of candidates. You should choose another course of study.' My husband and I tried to secure a loan. We were turned down by two different banks. I remember when it took two years for the zoning committee to approve plans to build our existing veterinary hospital and pet resort. There were many hurdles to overcome to achieve our goal. When people discourage you or say your endeavors are impossible, be persistent."

Gail Ambrosius, of Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier, Madison, believes that passion can help overcome some of those challenges.
"I attribute our success to several 'keys'," she noted, "including a combination of passion, luck, hard work, and the support of good people. I've been fortunate to make a living by following my passion. Working at something you find inherently fascinating and fulfilling is the only way to thrive during those 80+hour weeks and times of risk."

Don't forget the "business" of business
Joel Weitz, Vitense Golfland, Inc., Madison, advises to "Focus on a strategy of continually renovating and improving core activities while at the same time strategically expanding in areas that complement those activities. Analyze your products and services and identify ways to make yours unique to stand above the others in the marketplace. Leverage community assets & partner with other businesses to enhance your own products and services."

Eric Schroeder, The Payroll Company, Inc., Middleton, advised, "Trust in capitalism, and leverage the fact that those who are smarter, faster, and cheaper will always win. But don't be cheap when it comes to employees or professional advice — legal, accounting, or otherwise. If you are doing all of the work, then you don't have a business, you have a JOB, so develop your organization with scalability in mind.

"Don't make too many concessions during the sales process, this will destroy your margins and deplete the resources you have available to service your other, more profitable, customers. Lastly, do what you say you are going to do and follow up until your customer acknowledges that you have fulfilled your obligation(s)."

A final tip from American philosopher Arnold H. Glasgow: "Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."

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