Martha Stewart in The Martha Rules explains difference between Taking a Chance or a Risk

We will begin with The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business written by Martha Stewart.

Martha is truly a remarkable woman who has accepted accountability and responsibility for her own decisions and actions on the part of others in her life. She has also created amazing and brilliant trends throughout the business industry, and she continues to spark interest in the minds of people wishing they could live their lives with such high ambitions.

Martha shares insight into several basic areas of business such as, Appeal to your customers’ wants and needs, Beware the echo chamber: assembling an advisory board, and Take risks not chances.

The first two are fairly understandable and make complete sense. The third tidbit really made me start thinking.

Martha says that, “In business, there’s a difference between a risk and a chance. A well-calculated risk may very well end up as an investment in your business.  A careless chance can cause it to crumble. And when an opportunity presents itself, never assume it will be your last.”

This really hit home for me because I often jump at opportunities without taking any amount of time to research it, consider other options, or understand the consequences.  While this habit hasn’t always hurt me, it hasn’t always provided me with the best results either.  I now understand that it is ok to be brave and take a risk, but it should be a well informed and calculated risk.

Achieving Success In Your Business With Happiness

I have been doing a great deal of research for my next business book and three books that I really enjoyed reading yesterday were from three very different authors about three different aspects of life and business.

We will begin with The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business written by Martha Stewart.

Martha is truly a remarkable woman who has accepted accountability and responsibility for her own decisions and actions on the part of others in her life. She has also created amazing and brilliant trends throughout the business industry, and she continues to spark interest in the minds of people wishing they could live their lives with such high ambitions.

Martha shares insight into several basic areas of business such as, Appeal to your customers’ wants and needs, Beware the echo chamber: assembling an advisory board, and Take risks not chances.

The first two are fairly understandable and make complete sense. The third tidbit really made me start thinking.

Martha says that, “In business, there’s a difference between a risk and a chance. A well-calculated risk may very well end up as an investment in your business.  A careless chance can cause it to crumble. And when an opportunity presents itself, never assume it will be your last.”

This really hit home for me because I often jump at opportunities without taking any amount of time to research it, consider other options, or understand the consequences.  While this habit hasn’t always hurt me, it hasn’t always provided me with the best results either.  I now understand that it is ok to be brave and take a risk, but it should be a well informed and calculated risk.

JJ Ramberg shares 183 essential tips that will transform your small business in her book, It’s Your Business. Three of the most poignant topics she covers in her book include: End customer interactions on a positive note, Respond to negative customer feedback positively, Partner with people who reach a similar audience.

One of the most awkward situations for a business leader is responding to negative feedback. I cringe everytime I see someone slam the customer, respond with hate, or completely disregard the person’s comments.   Always be courteous when someone leaves a review or comment. It is often harder for a customer to leave a bad review than to just never let you know. As a business leader you need to know all the good and bad about your business. Otherwise, you will never be able to correct issues that could potentially close your doors.

I absolutely love The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  This isn’t necessarily a business related book, but it is one that would help everyone who is a business leader! One of the most important sections of her book that I believe truly affects all leaders is Enjoy Now.

We are so often focused on next weeks sale, next months quota, and next years budget that we often fail to appreciate Now.

You can only truly be happy if you can Enjoy Now. Gretchen mentions, “The arrival fallacy is a fallacy because, though you may anticipate great happiness in arrival, arriving rarely makes you as happy as you anticipate”.

She reminds us that the ever looking forward doesn’t provide us with the full enjoyment of now. Appreciating where you are, right now, right here. That is the key to accepting your happiness, now.

Sure, tomorrow your happiness could grow, or lessen.. but for today, accept your happiness and relish in it! Appreciate everything good happening in your life and around you at this very moment.