What Got You Here, Won't Get You There! (September 2007)

“What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There!” Those are words worth thinking about. When I heard them recently, they struck me. In part, they struck because it was at a 6:00 AM Bootcamp run by Keath Hausher, President of Shark Fitness Training Company. When you’re training at that hour of the morning with about fifty other people, you tend to have the sense that you are doing everything you can to stay healthy. But to be truthful, I’ve reached a plateau. And to get to “the next level”, whatever that is, I have to do more!

The same is true in business. The actions you have taken to get where you are today (wherever that may be) will not get you to the next level. To some that is good news; to others it’s probably not! To constantly, measurably improve, you’re going to have to do more. But rather than be discouraged, those same words can be inspirational. Whether your business is performing well or poorly, taking different action is the key to changing your result.

Think about your business and the number of things that you are doing the way “they’ve always been done”. Some of those may be fine, but people, practices and processes may have long since served their purpose and may actually be holding you back.

• Reports that once served to answer an important question are still being produced even though the question may be irrelevant. New reporting to answer questions of the day may not have been instituted because the “old stuff” is taking up so much time.

• Processes that seemed efficient yesterday, may seem slow today. It wasn’t that long ago that fax machines were the fastest way to send information. Now, it seems we only fax something when someone doesn’t have access to their email!

• Finally, and among the most difficult, employees who were important to the business in its early stages may not have grown with the company, and may now be holding the company back. While it can be personally troubling to some, not everyone grows with an organization. The top marketing person for a $1 million dollar business might not be the right person when that same business reaches $10 million, $20 million or more.

There is a difference between “staying the course” and “ending up in a rut”. In order to move to the next level, in any endeavor, you have to challenge yourself and those around you to do more than yesterday. In business, competition is fierce and you can be assured that your competitors are trying to pass you by. Don’t make it easy for them. Challenge yourself to stay one step ahead and move to the next level.

What are you going to do differently today!?

If you need help with your business, financial plans, or goal setting, please give me a call at (314) 863-6637 or send an email to And, remember . . . Your Cash Is Flowing. Know Where.

Copyright @ 2007 Homza Consulting, Inc.