This is the first in a series of short articles on decision making, as it
may affect the progress, or otherwise, of your home based online business.
The main purpose of the articles is to get you thinking, more than you might
have done, about decisions that affect your business. It is not possible
in short articles to cover what is really an endless subject, but I hope
by the end of the series you will be more conscious of the decisions you
make which may affect:
1.The profitability of your online business.
2.The scope for expansion.
3.Your efficiency.
4.The productive use of your time.
5.Your family.
6.Your enjoyment of working online.
plus many other aspects of working at home online, in your own business.
Why is decision making important? You only need to consider that for a moment
to realize: that it is a dumb question. From the moment you wake, you are
passing through a series of tens of thousands of little decisions. You are
not very aware of most of them, they are routine, semi or sub-conscious
decisions. Any one of those little decisions could have a major
influence on the future path of your life.
For example, you are in a hurry and decide to cross the road at a certain
point. A car comes hurtling around the corner, and knocks you into the air.
Thankfully you are still alive after you land, but are taken to hospital
and are there for a couple of weeks, at one point in Intensive Care. You
are employed, but your employer is not sympathetic, will not pay you, and
for a few days you lie there worrying about losing your job. You have no
insurance, so how will you pay the bills?
Was crossing the road at that point, at that time, a bad decision? On the
face of it, yes, it was stupid to say the least. But what if, in the two
weeks in hospital, you fall in love with a nurse? Later, you marry and have
several wonderful children? Was that still a bad decision, crossing the road
then and there?
Not only did you meet your future spouse, the person in the next bed turned
out to have some good business ideas they wanted to put into practice. You
got chatting about them as your condition started to improve. The two of
you found you saw eye to eye on lots of things, and it was clear that you
would both benefit from the synergy of working together on a business project.
The other person had the ideas and money in place, but needed you as a partner
to take it forward. When you were both fit and well again, he subsidized
you while the business was set up. It prospered, and within months you were
earning 4 times your previous income. Was that still a bad decision, crossing
the road then and there?
That is fiction, but is it unrealistic fiction? No. There are probably many
thousands of very similar stories. And there are countless millions of true
stories about seemingly little decisions that have altered the course of
peoples lives.
What I have been referring to are almost random events. I say
almost because the decision to cross the road was not random.
An adult crossing the road like that had sufficient information to make a
correct decision. They did not make use of their knowledge and information.
As decision making goes, it was a bad decision, regardless of what random
events followed.
Making decisions in your every day business needs to be more focused, more
scientific, and much more aware, than you may have been used to in your life
as an employee. Most of us have, at some stage, passed through a zombie like
existence of repetition, working for a company or other organization. It
may even be that you have had little scope to make decisions other than when
and where to cross the road, what to eat for dinner, what to watch on tv,
and what to wear today. Now, though, with your own online business, there
is massive scope for making key decisions, every day. How you do that will
have a serious impact on the future of your business.
I believe that just by being more conscious of your decisions, your business
will benefit, and so will you. Relying on the business equivalent of crossing
the road at the wrong time, meeting the love of your life and your perfect
business partner, is not an option if your are serious about your business.
You cannot rely on random events, although undoubtedly some random events
will affect you in the future. Business is often a percentage game, and you
want to make decisions that tilt the odds in your favour.
Decision making in business is about bringing together as much relevant
information as possible, in a structured and understandable way, and consciously
reviewing that information before arriving at a decision. It is about assessing
possible outcomes, probabilities, future trends, past experiences and all
other relevant factors. Ignoring those factors may not put you in hospital,
but would harm your business.
I will cover elements of business decision making in future articles. In
the mean time, if you are in search of a new loved one and business partner,
please do not step out in front of a car. Your local hospital may not be
the place where they are currently waiting for you.
Roy Thomsitt is the owner, webmaster and author of
http://www.change-direction.com
, a new website in late 2004, about working online in a home based business.
He has a background in offline advertising, with practical experience of
working from home in marketing since 1995, plus 2 years of experience with
online marketing. Professionally, he was trained as a management accountant
and has substantial background in financial and project management, implementing
new office, accounting, computer and management systems.
So how does someone decide
which
home business is right for them? Research is the key by reading honest
articles from a variety of sources. This web site seeks to collect
a host of ideas and opinions on a variety of business ideas that your
can read and assess for yourself.
Good luck - live long and prosper!
The Perfect Options Team
DISCLAIMER
- Please note that all articles on this web site does not constitute
professional advice. All articles are intended to provide a general view
of many topical subjects from a variety of sources. We are not responsible
for the content or any sponsored links that you may choose to visit from
this web site. We suggest you to consult a solicitor and your doctor for
advice relevant to you own situation before making any important decisions.
The author is not an expert in any given field. By printing, downloading,
or using you agree to our full terms. Below is a summary of some of the terms.
If you do not agree to the full terms, do not use the information. We are
only publishers of this material, not authors. Information may have errors
or be outdated. Some information is from historical sources or represents
opinions of the author. It is for research purposes only. The information
is "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS". User assumes all risk of use, damage, or injury.
You agree that we have no liability for any damages. We are not liable for
any consequential, incidental, indirect, or special damages. You indemnify
us for claims caused by you.