A Hidden Source Of Growth Ideas For Your Business

As entrepreneurs, we’ve all worked jobs we hated. We were underpaid, under-appreciated and bored out of our minds. We either quit these jobs or were fired for poor performance because we just gave up.

One way or another, we discovered that we were thoroughly unemployable. However, the majority of people in the world actually prefer to trade their freedom and limitless opportunity for the mediocrity of life as an employee of others.

Loyal readers of this blog may remember my post of nearly three years ago in which I listed 42 different jobs I’ve had in my life:

• Paperboy
• Tennis club maintenance worker
• Golf caddy
• Beer vendor (Madison Square Garden)
• Newspaper sportswriter
• Movie theater usher
• Cafeteria worker
• Dishwasher
• Waiter
• Garbageman
• Stableboy
• Dairy farmer
• Berry picker
• Gas station attendant
• Fast-food server
• Route salesperson
• After-party cleanup crew member
• Bartender
• Factory floor sweeper
• Radio show producer
• Newspaper editor
• Television sportscaster
• Executive assistant
• Word processor
• Data entry clerk
• Legal secretary
• Receptionist
• Law clerk
• Telemarketer
• Inbound call center salesperson
• Warehouse worker
• Door-to-door salesperson
• Sales trainer
• Sales manager
• Stockbroker
• Insurance agent
• Mortgage broker
• Options trader
• VP of sales
• General business consultant
• Local Advertising consultant
• Internet marketing consultant

And, as I wrote in that post, there are probably a few more here or there that I can’t remember.

No matter how much I knew any particular job I temporarily held was not for me, I considered every job an opportunity to learn something new that I could apply down the line on my path to success. And often in my current role as a success consultant to small business owners, I remember and relate lessons learned from my days as an employee.

It’s a fact that whenever people have to come up with solutions to challenges, they are honing their overall business success skills. So think about this: What if one of your terrible jobs had been one with no pay at all, and you had needed to come up with some ingenious ways of making money? I bet you could have found a diamond in that rough.

You can use this concept to your advantage in your own business, with your own employees.

Now I don’t recommend leading off your next staff meeting by declaring that none of your employees will receive pay anymore, but you can tell them that their potential raises, bonuses and other perks are now dependent on their creativity in coming up with ways to enhance your business.

You can routinely reward your employees, or run periodic contests and offer prizes, to encourage them to come up with ways to improve your systems and processes, or an effective headline for one of your ads, or an irresistible front-end offer to attract prospects, or a great guarantee, or even an idea for an entire promotional campaign.

When you do this, you may discover that your employees have expertise, enthusiasm and energy to help your business succeed that you may not have known existed before. Involving your employees in this way also often leads to improved morale and employee loyalty, which are both always good things for you and your business.

And the obvious bottom-line: These employee-generated ideas, strategies and solutions can make you a lot of money, too.

Remember: As an entrepreneur or business owner, you’re a relatively rare breed. But although most people would rather have a job, that doesn’t mean that you can’t tap into them as a source for the growth and success of your business.