Be In The Business of Helping

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”
–Zig Ziglar

This is the most important thing to keep in mind when running a business, offering freelance services, or volunteering. Helping others achieve their goals will vastly increase your own chances of success. Donald Miller can’t shut up about how customers don’t care about your story–they are about their own. Designing your business around your customer’s storyline is the best way to grow. 

Tony Robbins makes the case that the most successful businesses simply help others do more. Google offers free tools for education and work. Amazon offers 2-day shipping on millions of items. Uber makes taxis available to everyone. Apple creates devices that revolutionize life and work. They’ve all found a way to make people’s lives easier and better. And they’re reaping the rewards. 

Is your current business model focused on helping other people achieve their goals? If not, it’s smart to redesign it. Step in your customer’s shoes. A question I’ve found to be especially useful in my initial client meetings is, “What’s the most stressful part of your current process?” This helps me identify exactly how I can make their lives better. 

“When you create incredible value for others, you have the right to make as much money as you want.” 
–Benjamin P. Hardy