Over the years, I have discovered success is powered by three things: know-how, reputation and a network of contacts.
That's it. That's the secret.
The formula for success = your human capital (what you know) times your social capital (who you know) times your reputation (who trusts you).
You can take away all my money and even my customer list, but if I can keep my smarts, my business relationships and reputation, I'll get it all back and then some. Having knowledge, social capital and trust is the ultimate security blanket in good times and bad.
Today's economic climate is an excellent time to reach new prospective customers and build better relationships with your present customers. But building your company's social capital is not about sitting alone in front of your computer trying to come up with a winning marketing formula on your own. No one I know who is successful in creating a marketing presence does it that way.Successful people may have started out going it alone, but as soon as they possibly could, they began to leverage their own and other people's ideas, experiences and relationships.
Why not make a New Year Resolution to be coached to success and begin to build your social capital?