Blue Elevator Blog

Accelerate – in life

I grew up in Southern California.  Southern California has a lot of freeways.  The 57.  And, the 55.  The 22.  The 91.  And, the 605.  Or, how about the 405.  The 710.  And, the 210.  Of course there’s the 5.  The 60.  And, the 10.  The 15.  And, even the 1!  All kinds of roads.  All kinds of directions.  And, all kinds of lanes.  And, all with on ramps and off ramps.

I can still remember my student driving days.  The instructor told us to accelerate and enter the freeway at the posted speed limit.  This was super fun if you and your car had the guts.  But, you could be hampered by a gutless car – or timidity – or both.

Accelerate – in Business

So, what does this have to do with business?  Well, in freeway driving and in business, when it’s time to accelerate – it’s time to Accelerate™!

You may wonder why the latter has the super script ™.  It’s because that is the short version of the Blue Elevator® trade mark phrase: Innovate, Accelerate, Replicate®

At Blue Elevator®, we speak in terms of 3 broad categories: Innovate, Accelerate, Replicate®.  Each of those three terms summarize a very complex set of variables, concepts, and principles necessary for success in business.

And as Members of the Blue Elevator® Group know, after you have taken time to Innovate™, it’s time to Accelerate™.  And boy, do we mean how!

Accelerate – Business to the Next Level™

And so, if you are ready to take your “business to the next level™,” be encouraged to think along these lines.

Innovate™ before you Accelerate™

First, you need to Innovate™.  If you haven’t taken the time to Innovate™ your business, you will have a hard time getting up to freeway speed.  Are you frustrated at your inability to accelerate (e.g., grow)?  Some business owners want to go fast, but their car (business) lacks the horsepower to merge into the proverbial fast lane.  If this is you, we would love to help you evaluate why your business doesn’t respond the way you want it to.  You may need to Innovate™ and turn that classic car into a hot rod.  Innovate™ before you Accelerate™.

Be Patient

Additionally, be patient. You might have done all the right work with Innovate™.  But, even though your business is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, the freeway is jacked up – and it’s bumper to bumper traffic.  We meet a lot of business owners who just need to be patient with themselves and others.  If this is you, don’t be discouraged if you don’t go from start-up to the Fortune 500 overnight.  For example, Starbucks coffee has a shop on just about every corner.  And, did you know it took 15 years for Starbucks to Accelerate™ from 1 to just 6 stores?

Be encouraged to celebrate small, incremental growth.  Here’s a great video clip for you.  It’s hard to find a “clean” (e.g., language) Gary Vaynerchuk video.  But, this is one I like with the title 1 > 0 (e.g., One is Greater than Zero).

Step on It

Now, step on it. Sometimes, the car is fine, and the freeway may be moving fast, and it’s just a case of driver timidity.  Yes – sometimes, God willing, you just need to step on it.  If you took a moment to watch the short video clip, it’s OK to start small.  Just stay after it.

Summary

Driving a business is not as simple as driving a car.  In the process, we encourage you to seek skilled and trusted outside advisory.  Finally, if you aren’t working with someone, we’d love to ride shotgun (so you can ride in the fast lane).  We can help you with tune ups or major overhauls.  Then, God willing, you can put the pedal to the metal.

How long until we get there?  Only God knows!  We’d love to hear from you – email us here.