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5 Tips for Staying in the Game: Successful Business Longevity

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5 Tips for Staying in the Game: Successful Business Longevity

You know the saying, “If hind-sight were fore-sight, we’d all be successful.” Today’s statistics are quick to remind us that the longevity of most businesses is fifteen years, and the strong stable ones last about 40-50 years. What’s the difference between short-lived with an early death, or a long sustaining business?

Most entrepreneurs are sold out to the power of the dream. They know there will be long hours, hard work and great effort to push the dream forward, but there are a few trade secrets that would be better known in advance.

Here are 5 tips for staying in the game:

1. Own your world

Define your success. If you haven’t already, write down what success means to you. Develop a mission statement about who you are as a person and business. Then filter opportunities that align with that directive. Build a strong ethical filter and modify but don’t deviate from your purpose. If you strive to be everything to everyone, you really won’t be your best for anyone. Remember everything you do, develop or become, has the potential to influence others to rise to a higher level in their lives. Bring them along with you as success stories.

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” Carlos Castaneda

2. Character and reputation

You only get one. Good and bad reputations live for a very long time in people’s minds. It’s not impossible to rebuild or remake who you are, but once you’ve tarnished your character, it’s a long hard climb to repairing it. On the flip side, other people want to align themselves with quality character and positive status. Don’t apologize for who you are, but ask yourself if you would want to align yourself with you. When you put clients’ needs first, they’ll clear the way for your success, and you build repeat, as well as generational customers.

 

3. Be Passionate

One of the greatest gifts of being an entrepreneur is the freedom to be passionate about what you do. Starting a business is much like pushing a large boulder up a steep hill. It’s hard, but worth it. Consciously, use your emotional energy in a positive manner and everyone wins. Getting up every day looking forward to what you do will make the long hours and hard work worth it.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, stay the course.

 

4. Stress and Fear

There are several kinds of stress, it’s how you choose to perceive it. Deadlines can be stressful, or they can be forced time management. Financial strain can sometimes be the motivation for ingenuity—use it. Failure can help you understand what’s not working and inspire you to develop another plan. Don’t let fear paralyze you. When fear stays bound up inside in an emotional state it can be crippling. Call it out, categorize it and then solve it or design a new plan. Use stress and fear to your advantage and call it ‘focus and motivation.’

 

5. The balancing act

Plan for success. Work hard at it. But don’t live to work. As hard as it is, build working hours and stick to them. Work to build stability but also embrace flexibility. There’s a time to set boundaries and a time to roll with the punches. Appreciate those who work for you and value their off time as well. Spend time with friends and family. Don’t buy them off, instead spend time with them. If tomorrow everything you’ve hoped for in your entrepreneur dream explodes, your family and friends will be your saving grace, and supporters. Treat them well.

Learn to spend time alone and enjoy it. Discover the value of just being still—no electronics, no agenda. Take ten minutes every day to breath, to clear your mental clutter and to listen quietly. It’s harder than it sounds, but you’ll be better for it. Following these times write down your constructive thoughts and itemize a work list. You will be more productive through the day.

“You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.” Warren Buffett

Knowing who you are, building a roadmap to your success, valuing yourself and others, guarding your reputation and passion will facilitate your successful longevity. Practicing some or all of these tips may make you stronger and better equip your success and longevity.

What tips are you learning and would pass on to others?

Pam is a freelance writer passionate about family and equipping others to personal success. Her online magazine, The Modern Woman (www.TMWLife.com ) is written for women, but works hard to equip parents and entrepreneurs to be their own boss of: schedules, influence and income levels. You can find her at www.pamalajvincent.com , Facebook and Twitter.

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

Building a Business Empire: Lessons from the World’s Boldest Entrepreneurs

Learn essential lessons, success strategies, and mindset shifts every aspiring entrepreneur needs to overcome challenges and build a thriving business.

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how to build a business empire
Image Credit: Midjourney

Back in July 2017, I attended a business seminar on entrepreneurship in India. With my appetite for learning and meeting new people, I wanted to explore the latest developments in the entrepreneurial world. (more…)

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