Here are more tips on "secrets" to business success .....
1. Make friends everywhere. Friends will support you when times are good and when they're bad. Also friends buy from friends. There are different levels of friendship, of course.
2. Only ever go into partnership with someone you trust with everything you have. Be certain about that.
3. Set clear goals and focus on them. Remind yourself and your team of them often.
4. Check that you're on track. Fix it if you're not.
5. Be clear about what your business is. Avoid getting involved with activities that are shiny but don't have anything to do with your business. That's what spare time is for.
6. Work harder than anyone else. Make sure your clients know that you're working hard for them.
7. Work at being better. Better than your competitors, better than you were yesterday. Quality shows & no-one recommends the second-best.
8. Care more than everyone else. If you really care, it helps all of the above.
9. Be inspired; be inspiring. Nobody wants to be involved with a pointless activity.
What is the secret to business success?
"Find a hungry crowd and give them what they want"
OR more precisely....
Find a hungry crowd (enabled with disposable income - B2C /or generous budgets - B2B) and give them what they need while selling them emotionally on the benefits as something they want.
The hardest skills to harness in that simple statement is the ability to do so at enough of a profit to make it sustainable, and without sacrificing your personal moral and ethical standing to chase the 'almighty dollar'.
To put it another way .....
Providing more value to enough people that they'll pay you to cover your costs with something left over.