This probably is the MOST important skill any small business owner should have. If you don’t then you can learn it. If you master this skill then your business should grow, your profits should grow and you might just make the success you are aiming for. So pay attention and make sure you get this.

No, No, No! Yes, NO!

Most small business owners, including me when I started out, rarely says no to business.That causes some major issues. Business deals are like a bus, if you miss this deal then another will come soon. Yet, we see every bus as a bus WE must ride and that is impossible. Not all buses lead to the destination we aim to reach. Following every opportunity might take you to a place you never wanted to be with your small business and your life because you are not exercising control.

You exercise control over this situation by saying NO. Saying NO is the no.1 skill I would advise small business owners to master.

You know what you want. You know what you want your business to be and what it should give you as the business owner. Stop and look at new business opportunities coming your way and ask yourself, will this help me get there? Then say NO. Do not do it. Find another deal. Make another phone call and find other business that is in line with what you really want to achieve.

If you do not start saying NO you could end up with the following issues:

1. Creating non-core services: If you do work outside of what you planned to do then you usually have to get resources and/or equipment in to do it. After the job is done those resources tend to hang around and eat into your cash flow.
2. Playing in a market you do not know: It might make your cash flow look better for 30 days but now you are playing in a market you might not know. That means you cannot offer the level of service and value the client might be expecting.
3. Doing stuff you never wanted too in the first place: If you end up doing business that does not excite you then you will deliver substandard service and not be motivated. It would be like dating a one-night-stand, long term. It was good when it started but now you start paying attention to why you never wanted it long term but now you are stuck.

Learn to say no more often. It could save your small business, your life and your sanity.