Famously said by Marilyn Monroe, “If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere.” If you are aiming high and planning to materialize your dream by defying all barriers and killing the stereotype, then the quote mentioned above is something that will get you going. Talking of small businesses, if we look back at the history of SMEs-turned-world-changing-MNCs, some remarkable brands like Apple, HP, Google, Walt Disney, Mattel and Amazon certainly get a special mention.

Now you must be thinking what rule did Steve Jobs break or what exactly were Larry Page and Sergey Brin up to? Well, breaking the rules doesn’t necessarily mean to try out random illegal stuff that may put you behind bars. Breaking rules indicates ignoring certain stereotypes to rise above what is regular and conventional in order to turn your small business into a successful and universally recognized company someday.  

Published on Forbes, the list of small companies in America that are making it big in the industry has a count of 25 firms with revenues ranging from $3 Million to a huge $532 Million. Astonished much? Nothing really is impossible you see!

Here are the 7 conventional small business rules which are better to be broken than to follow blindly:

1. Do not rope your family and friends in the business

This perhaps is the most common and an unspoken law followed by many people in the domain of start-up businesses. It’s a misconception among us that involvement of family and friends ruins the business prosperity. Do you know your favorite café Starbucks was founded back in the year 1971 by three San Francisco University students, and the original McDonald’s restaurant in California was founded by the McDonald brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald? So it is a myth after all!

2. If you are good at something, never do it for free

You may oppose this notion of working for free but have you ever thought of it the other way around? Suppose you have a start-up business that offers online academic writing service. Declare free essay help for all as a part of your promotional campaign. Provide all interested students with free services once and pitch the premium ones eventually. At least you can have people notice your business. That’s something which is crucial to every small trade.

3. No graduation means no business prosperity

Michael Dell (Dell), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Jan Koum (WhatsApp CEO), and Evan Williams (co-founder of Twitter), are examples of successful college dropouts turned billionaire business tycoons, apart from the iconic Steve Jobs and Zuckerberg.

Nonetheless, this is no way an indication to drop your graduation plan and start a trade right away. But in case you cannot continue with the graduation program or have to leave midway, then it won’t bring any harm to your business, as long as you have the zeal to innovate and stand out. Your motivation for the day – If they can do it, so can you!

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

4. You are too young to start a business or get an internship

Sound familiar? Well, this is yet another man-made small business rule that keeps coming in between one’s aspirations and dreams. Being young has nothing to do with businesses if you have the motivation to start something on your own with a focused mindset.

Rather, a young entrepreneur has greater advantages as compared to that of the mid-aged one. As you get older, taking risks and being flexible and dynamic might be a problem, but such is not the case with the youngsters. They are agile, more liberal, open to changes and risk takers. As you know, taking risks in business is the first step towards attaining success.

5. Not all social media campaigns work well for the business

Social media is a terrific platform for all small business owners aiming to invest less and generate more revenue. On the contrary, you can’t actually be too confident about it. You never know who’s available on which platform. The internet is a big thing, and you can’t get enough of it.

Because of this, choose to make a difference, sell your ideas, promote your products in as many social media sites possible, and leave no possibilities unexplored. Remember, digital marketing costs less than the traditional methodologies.

6. You have to have a plan drafted for seamless operations

Planning is always crucial to every business, but bringing compulsion to it and not being flexible enough to think anything beyond a drafted plan can at times bring limitations. There are moments when you need to plan things up quickly and make smart decisions early in the process.

Every time you would call your team for a meeting or sit with pen and paper and spend hours brainstorming, you might lose out on opportunities that your competitors might already have grabbed with agility, confidence and smartness. At times, you need to think beyond drafted agendas. That’s all you need for a quick transmutation!

“Management is all about managing in the short term, while developing the plans for the long term.” – Jack Welch

7. Follow what your successful competitors are doing

To draw inspiration and ideas is one thing, but following them blindly is another. If you want your business products and services to be remembered with great brand recall values, then it’s time to make a move, and think beyond tried and tested strategies. Trying out the good old approaches and sticking to the conventional ideas of marketing is good, but that won’t help your target audience experience or explore something new and catchy, will it?

So, here’s your chance to try out the untried, break the unbreakable, jump beyond your boundaries, think beyond all limitations and achieve what you wish for. Your business is in your hands, make it a big one.

Do you want to start a business? If so, what would you like it to be? Let us know in the comments below!