Start and Run Your Business Like a Toddler

The other day I was sitting watching my two year old son as I often do and as always, I am amazed at his level of excitement, enthusiasm and determination to have fun. So, of course my mind went into Entrepreneur mode and I started thinking about what it would be like to start and run a business like a toddler. There are three areas that I think we could run our business like a toddler and find that we along with our customers will benefit greatly.

1. The 3 E’s – Excitement, Energy, Enthusiasm

Even though this happens on a daily basis, I get such a kick out of my son’s eyes lighting up when he sees me at the end of my work day with that big smile and the loud “Mommy!” What if we showed our clients or customers the same kind of excitement or enthusiasm each time we come in contact with them? Can you imagine how they would feel to know that you are excited to have them as a customer? If most of your contact with your customer is via e-mail you can she show warmth and excitement in your e-mail. Just chose your words wisely and when appropriate a little smiley face won’t hurt. Also, excitement and energy is just good for business. If you are not excited about your business how can you expect someone else to be excited about it? Excitement and energy are sometimes contagious. So, in your business don’t be stingy with it – get it and spread it around!

2. Determination

I’ve noticed on several occasions how determined my son is to find a particular toy. While I will try to get him to play with something that is similar to the one he wants he is determined to play with the blue train instead of the red one. And that’s the one that he looks for and looks for until he finds it. Sometimes in business we’ll give up too quickly if we can’t find the information we’re looking for or if someone turns us down on a deal we were hoping would go through or if we don’t see the results we want immediately. Maybe if we just continue on and not give up, we’ll get the results we are looking for or the business deal we were hoping for. Yes, it will take some extra work and time. But the extra effort will be worth it in the end.

3. Have Fun!

One thing I have noticed about my son as well as other toddlers is that he absolutely loves to have fun! He’d rather play than to do anything else in the world. As a matter of fact most times we have to literally force him to eat because he would rather play than eat. That’s one thing we should do more of with our businesses – Have Fun! We can have fun with our business by first choosing a business that we love or that we believe in. We can also have fun in our business, simply by choosing to do so each day.

Even though kids are constantly learning from us as adults, this is one situation where we can definitely learn from them if we just open our minds and see the benefits of being excited, energized, and determined and having fun.