When you’re running a business, success is the only thing that ultimately matters. If you can build a successful business you can your employees, grow your company and it means you are providing your customers with a service they like and are happy to recommend and come back to. Success means you are doing everything you need, every day.

It’s not a matter of luck: this is a double edged sword. If it was a matter of luck, and you’re a lucky person, that means you don’t have to put in any effort. But, as it’s not it means you can learn to be successful, even if it’s a difficult journey.

Today we’re looking at different ways you can learn the habits of success in business and make sure your own company is going to go the distance.

Getting Good at Taking Decisions

Decision making is a skill, and it’s one you need to develop as a priority. You can’t allow yourself to be fooled by the bravado of the business world: the best decisions aren’t made on the gut instincts of business titans who came out of the womb in pinstripe suits and two ties. They’re made by people with a strong understanding of the market they operate in, who use their experience and objective data to ensure they’re making the optimal moves to maximise profit and minimise loss.

You’ll gather experience over time, and you also trusted peers to work with in the business community, from other founders to investors, and even your business lawyer! They can help you supplement your small level of beginner’s experience and take decisions beyond your years.

To get data, you need a market research company like Attest. They can not only get you raw data showing what consumers think of your brand, and how likely they are to spend money with you, they can also turn those figures into insights: actionable, easy to understand that very simply tell you what to do next.

Feedback and Reflection

No success story lacks setbacks. It’s not been an easy road for anyone. What sorts of the wheat from the chaff is how you react to failure. You need to build in processes from day one that let you reflect on projects, successful or otherwise, and learn lessons from them. Don’t focus on blame and recrimination. Look to the future, and come away with concrete things you can do better next time, whether the erring party was you or an employee.