Building a successful business step by step: Workbook with concrete action instructions

By Dominik Mikulaschek

Is it possible to describe in a book a universal, industry-independent step-by-step guide that anyone can practically implement in times of digitalization? In this book, you will find the answers to what the essential universal structures, processes and content for business success are and how you need to build them up, step by step in detail, in order to build up a successful company with a high probability. Beginning with the company idea to a highly automated company, you will find all the necessary information. It is an attempt to democratize business success and to provide all people interested in building a successful business with this information in as concrete and condensed a way as possible. No matter what level of business development you are at, you can start from scratch with this book, but of course you can also re-evaluate your existing business as a whole and continue to work from where you currently are with your business. This book is intended as a long-term business companion for future or existing CEOs and is suitable for start-ups, small businesses and SMEs. It serves as an industry-independent foundation for learning to fundamentally understand business success, but also as a concrete workbook for building a successful business step by step or helping an existing business to be more successful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: tredition
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9783347764538

Book preview

I.) Introduction: Democratisation of corporate success in times of digitalisation? → www.company4youandme.com

I am writing this book because every year millions of people around the world start a new business and many existing businesses have problems becoming successful. The main problems that I recognise are that no state institution or company provides a comprehensive, practical step-by-step guide or book on how to found and build a successful company, especially in times of digitalisation, and how to intervene in a sustainable way. The aim of this book is to democratise corporate success so that in the future everyone has the chance to understand as simply as possible which essential universal steps, independent of industry, must be taken to build a successful company from scratch or to supplement and regulate an existing company structurally, in terms of processes and content to such an extent that it is possible to make a living from it in the shortest possible time or to land in the green figures again and, in the best case, to scale up a company and automate it as far as possible.

Building a successful business is a complex undertaking, you have to create an interactive multi-functional business system arrangement and pay attention to a lot of details. It is important that you recognise that you do not have this knowledge, what business structures and various details you need to build in order to launch a successful business, how to develop a competitive business and how to maximise your business success in the long term. At the moment, you may be in the process of finding a business topic for yourself, you may be toying with the idea of starting a business, you may be developing a profession in a field, or you may already be a professional in your field. However, it is important that you understand and acknowledge that you are not a professional at building a successful business. Many people mix up these two levels, having a profession in your field and entrepreneurship. This is also the reason why so many fail in building a business. Only if you are really good at both levels, in your field and in building a professional business, you have a chance, build a successful business in the future or maximise your business success as best as possible. Therefore, I advise you to take your ego back, read this book and become successful with your business.

At Company 4 You & Me, it is important for us to show you the essential business foundation that will actually lead to you building more new customers every month. This is the main reason why many entrepreneurs, but also long-standing existing businesses, have to close down in the first three years and do not generate the necessary turnover, because above all the acquisition of new customers does not work. Often, essential business steps were not taken, especially with regard to digitalisation in the area of websites, modern advertising texts and advertising media, social media and online marketing.

Essentially, I will show you 20 concrete universal steps for thinking and acting (see table of contents), where you will learn how best to set up your business so that the probability that you will fail with your business is almost zero. Think of the table of contents as headings for all the topics you need to think through and, for the most part, work through in a positive way so that your business can be as successful as possible and you can maximise your business success in the long term. The first 14 steps are the most important, steps 15 to 20 are only important if you have already sustainably built up new customers and equity capital with the first 14 steps, which of course makes it much easier to implement steps 15 to 20.

Regardless of whether you are running a start-up, a small, a larger or a medium-sized company, you will find all the essential steps described here from the point of view of the management, from the founding of the company to in-depth process descriptions, e.g. regarding company scaling, company automation, etc., so that you will be able to resolve these issues positively in the future.

What is important to me about this book is that it is about concrete action steps that we have successfully applied in our own company or other companies. In other words, it is not a theoretical construct, but a concrete practical universal step-by-step guide to building a successful company in times of digitalisation. It is also essential that this book is written from the perspective of the management. You will learn as much as you need to know about the individual steps so that you can work out the essential content yourself, so that we can make you highly competent with regard to all the steps, but also clearly show you where it is important that you have the content worked out by professionals under your guidance, such as a logo, a website, an online marketing campaign, a CRM or ERP system, etc. What is essential here, I am convinced, is that as a managing director you should have so much knowledge in all areas of the company that no one can lead you by the nose and that you are able to judge the work of service providers in the field of digitalisation, whether they have been worked out well or not. At the end of the day, as a CEO you cannot do everything yourself, even if you are a one-person company. We will show you here in detail how you can build up your company step by step, but always remain in the area of management and not become the girl for everything or be a long-term manager. If you want to implement individual steps yourself, e.g. for financial reasons, you will also find recommendations for this in the form of books, YouTube channels, learning platforms, distance learning, etc. so that you can acquire this technical knowledge and implement it yourself.

In summary, you will learn in each step what you need to know as a manager in order to be able to work out a coherent business concept, so that you can subsequently guide an expert in the respective area in the best possible way and also assess whether this work has also been carried out in the best possible way. However, you will also receive clear information in each chapter that will show you where you can find the best contact points if you want to technically implement the respective step yourself.

In conclusion, I would like to give you the most important things in the introduction that will determine whether you will fail with your business, run a mediocre business or build an outstanding business in your industry. Every detail you build in your business, whether it is the interior design, the business name, the website, graphics, photos, videos, social media, online marketing, human resources, etc., matters. Only if you are willing to keep at it with the necessary attention to detail until everything is coherent to the point, only then will you be able to play at the top. It is also important that as soon as you know in which sector and in which area you want to work, you carry out a comprehensive competitor analysis. In most cases, you don't have to reinvent the world, but only need to analyse in detail which essential structures, processes and contents are used by companies in your sector. You need to realise that if you have identified the strongest players in your sector, it is highly likely that all the business building blocks they use are not chosen at random, but are building blocks that work and are designed to attract as many new customers as possible in order to maximise sales. For example, when thinking about how to build your website, first analyse your competitors' websites, especially the homepage and the main subpages. If you are thinking about social media and online marketing, which channels would be suitable for your company, first analyse which platforms your competitors are represented on and which platforms they are not represented on. Because then these platforms will most likely not make sense for your business. If you want to build up or expand a business in established sectors, a large part of the preparation is often to understand why the strongest competitors are so successful and which steps have been implemented here, especially in terms of structure, processes and content, so that these leading companies have become so successful. In other words, only when you have recognised all the essential building blocks of the most successful competitors and how these building blocks have been interactively and multifunctionally connected with each other by means of a 360° company concept, only then will you have acquired the necessary intellectual theoretical foundation that you can then implement step by step in practice which enables you to play in their league in the future in a minimum of time. Of course, the most important thing is not to copy a company, but to create your own brand and brand message, which is at best many times better than that of your competitors, which you will of course learn in detail in the course of this book.

The exercise is thus to copy the structures and largely processes of successful companies, but never their content!

Two coherent examples regarding my thesis - MC Donalds / Burger King and H&M / C&A

If you look at these companies as a whole and compare them, you will see that there are many structures and processes that have been implemented in the same or similar way, but with different content.

Important note on how to read this book and how you should work with it

It is important to me that you do not get bored while reading from the beginning. Therefore, based on the table of contents, start at the point where you are currently with your company in terms of development, so that you have an exciting reading experience right from the start. If you are still at the very beginning as an entrepreneur, I would of course advise you to read through the book from the beginning and not to skip any chapter. If you have already set up structures, processes and content, but your business is not successful, then I also recommend reading the book from the beginning. And of course you can search the table of contents for the main topics that are currently on your mind and that you would like to solve now. If you are willing to read this book and try to understand all the steps in detail as best as possible, work out a coherent business concept and implement it technically flawlessly yourself and/or in cooperation with professionals, you will most likely build a successful business. It is important that you do not do things by halves, but read this book with concentration and do not skip any of these steps in your business development. Take this guide, use it as a working blueprint and build a successful business step by step. You have your profession in your service or product area, but you are not (yet) a professional in building a business. Therefore, take your ego back and use this book as a concrete detailed step-by-step guide for the successful development of your business. The important thing is that you use this book as a workbook and that you learn from the very beginning by means of a Word file or work out clear business concept points in parallel while reading.

It is essential for your success that you show perseverance and really take the time to build your business. You will have to work hard if you want to build a successful business!

But the good thing is, with this book you now have concrete instructions that you only have to implement step by step!

Opportunities to build a business with Company 4 You & Me:

1) Book: You can read this book and implement all the details described yourself and/or instruct professionals such as web designers, graphic artists, online marketing experts, etc. based on the knowledge you have acquired..

2) E-Learning: Use our e-learning by means of a video course and implement all business steps yourself and/or engage professionals, such as web designers, graphic designers, online marketing experts and instruct them yourself on the basis of the acquired knowledge. E-learning has the advantage of being able to accelerate business success even further by means of various illustrations, templates and download options, and many of our customers have found it much easier to learn the content.

3) Coaching: Another popular option is to book one of our coaching sessions, where you receive the book and the e-learning as a basis and we also coach you personally. We discuss your current company status with you in a consultation and then put together a coaching programme that is specifically suited to you. On the basis of the coaching programme, you will learn how to lead your business to success step by step and how to guide yourself and/or through the guidance of professionals such as web designers, graphic designers and online marketing experts. The coaching protects you in case you have misunderstood or implemented content in the book or e-learning, so that we can take corrective action. In concrete terms, we proceed as follows: On the basis of a comprehensive analysis, we will guide you on which structures and processes you need to undertake for the successful establishment of your company. In the next step, based on the knowledge you have acquired, you work out the necessary content yourself and/or then hire professionals yourself, such as web designers, graphic artists, online marketing experts, etc., who will professionally set up the necessary company structures, processes and content for you. The coaching also includes that you can present us with the elaborated details, such as the website, social media, online marketing, advertising media, etc., we will assess them and you can make further changes based on our feedback until all details have been professionally elaborated.

4) Agency services : Book our individual agency services, such as the development of a business concept, the creation of a new website, video productions, social media, online marketing etc. Or you can simply book the digital development of your entire company with us. You will then receive all the company structures, processes and content we have created, we will train you and you can start working with the new company we have created. Of course, we can also renew your existing company from the ground up using our agency services. If you are a manager with little time, it is a good idea to book our individual agency services or, if you want to build a business from scratch, to book our total business package. We can offer you all the services listed in this book as agency services and have the necessary professionals for every topic. We would be happy to discuss all details with you in a free consultation.

Coherent comparison → house building / company building

If you want to build a house from scratch, you usually need an architect to design the house and you need a builder to make sure that the house is built in a technically perfect way and to guide all the construction workers, e.g. foremen, electricians, etc. properly. If you want to build a successful business, I think you also need a groundbreaking book, e-learning, coaching and / or agency services where you can buy information, services and products as needed to build a successful business. It is important to recognise that you are not a professional at building a successful business and especially do not have the full knowledge necessary to maximise your business success and it is therefore sensible to get the necessary help to build a successful business step by step.

In summary, what are the objectives and aspirations of Company 4 You & Me? What are the objectives and aspirations of Company 4 You & Me? What can you as a customer expect from Company 4 You & Me?

3 essential promises that we at Company 4 You & Me make to you and our customers:

1) Democratisation of business success! With us, you or every client receives the necessary information to be able to build a successful business in the future. This book is a very popular form of learning among our clients and is used by many, as it is above all the most cost-effective way to learn in full detail how to build a successful business.

2) At Company 4 You & Me, we work with you and our clients to create effective, interactive, multi-functional 360° structures, processes and content that are precisely suited to the respective industries in order to maximise the success of the company. If you understand this one sentence and apply the details of this book correctly in your business, you are very likely to build a successful business.

3) From start-ups and sole traders to medium-sized businesses and sometimes even corporations, we provide all entrepreneurs with all the concrete information they need for their individual situation in order to develop their business in the best possible way in the minimum amount of time. We are a long-term companion and can help companies in every phase of development.

If you want to successfully build up your company step by step with Company 4 You & Me, you have to do the following:

1) Read this book as carefully as possible.

2) Internalise the entire content of this book as much as possible. If you have not understood many details after reading once, read the book again or individual chapters. If you have problems with terms in this book, research the various terms using Google and/or YouTube.

3) Put the content and concrete instructions of this book into practice step by step. You are well advised to follow all the details of this book one to one and not to try to go it alone. Trust this book and implement it step by step.

4) If you reach your limits with the book, contact us by e-mail or phone. We will then advise you on how best to proceed in order to achieve your desired business success.

For more details on Company 4 You & Me, please visit our website: www.company4youandme.com

II.) Basic foundation for corporate success

In this chapter, you will learn the first six important steps that you should be aware of and understand in depth if you are about to start a business. Many people stumble into self-employment and instinctively feel their way forward without really knowing what they are doing, hoping that somehow it will work out. At the beginning, it is most important to draw up a holistic 360° plan and to think through as many business steps as possible in advance and subsequently work them out in a clearly structured way. Many of these steps should be taken, especially in the first year, in order to be able to sustainably build up new customers.

You should consider and implement the following six steps at the beginning of your business start-up:

Step 1: Entrepreneurial Mindset - Professional interactive multifunctional business structures, processes and content will lead you to success.

Step 2: Find business idea / service or product? / B2B or B2C?

Step 3: Competitor analysis - learn from the structures, processes and content of other companies

Step 4: Business and digitalisation concept - Think through all business steps in terms of structures, processes, content and financial expenditure

Step 5: Bookkeeping, monthly turnover list, appointment list, etc.

Step 6: Founding the company

Many founders find these first six steps too boring at the beginning and therefore many often try to leave this out. No matter what you do when you are at the beginning of your entrepreneurship, please read through these six steps repeatedly until you have actually fully understood and internalised these steps, because these six steps are the foundation for whether you will really become sustainably successful with your business in the future.

Step 1: Entrepreneurial mindset - Professional interactive multifunctional business structures, processes and content lead you to success

It is essential: Individual changes in the company usually do not lead to more success! Corporate success is primarily dependent on the right structures, processes, contents, coordination, automation and the technically flawless implementation of all building blocks in the company! Remember, no matter what your personal strengths and weaknesses are, if you have understood the essential basic structures, processes and contents for business success and build them up step by step in a technically flawless way, it is highly likely that your business will be successful. If in the long run you also learn to manage employees properly on the basis of this company structure, are prepared to implement as many automation processes as possible in the long term, you scale your company upwards, are constantly prepared to analyse and improve your company and continue to educate yourself throughout your life, then you have the necessary mindset to build a successful company in the 21st century. If you are currently in a situation where you are dissatisfied with your life, it is important that you understand: "Life is in motion every day, not set in stone. Every day you have the power to change your life, your systems, your structures, processes and contents.

Three examples to illustrate the power you gain when you understand the power of functioning systems, structures, processes and professionally implemented content:

Example 1: A simple example right at the beginning. Someone weighs 120 kg (actual state) and wants to weigh 80 kg (target state) in the future. How will this person reach the desired target state as quickly as possible? By means of a clear multifunctional, interactive and clearly structured plan, i.e. an extensive sports programme, a consistent change in diet, sufficient rest and sleep, etc. The knowledge for this can be obtained from books. The knowledge for this can be acquired through books, a YouTube channel, a fitness app, a fitness coach etc. At the end of the day, you change your old habits and live a new holistic daily structure in order to reach your goal as soon as possible. It is not through individual measures, such as a change in diet, that one reaches one's goal as quickly as possible, but through a multifunctional interactive positive arrangement.

Example 2: Ed Sheeran, one of the most famous pop musicians of the 21st century, explains in a television recording that a large number of well-known successful songs always contain the same structure in terms of beat and form and proves this live in front of a loud camera. He demonstrates why, in his opinion, it is so easy to land a hit if you understand the basic structures of well-known songs and make them your own when working on new songs.

Example 3: Most Hollywood films are based on a 3-act structure and based on a classic pre-set hero's journey. Syd Field wrote books and gave lectures to help screenwriters write scripts that would be of interest to the Ame-rican film industry. Field's concepts on how to write a screenplay were also highly regarded by producers in Hollywood to create concepts for successful Hollywood screenplays. Field's most important contribution to the field was the division of a screenplay into the three-act structure (drawing on Aristotle). In this division of a screenplay, a script begins in the first half hour with introductory information about the characters and the background story. After that, the action of the film reaches a plot point, which gives the protagonist of the film a goal to reach. The hero of the film spends half of the film trying to reach his goal, which Field also calls the confrontation period. The last quarter of the film serves as the film's finale, which ends with the film's conclusion. 1

I do not want to give the impression that being aware of interactive multi-functional structures, processes and contents is the only guarantee for success. But I want to make it clear that if you are aware of this and are not a genius in a certain subject area, such as Albert Einstein, Mozart, Steven Spielberg, etc., you can make up a lot of ground to increase the probability enormously of becoming successful in all conceivable subject areas. And of course you will also find unique and sector-specific structures, processes and contents in companies, which essentially decide whether they are successful or not!

IMPORTANT: Be aware of where your talents lie! If you combine these talents with the awareness of successful structures, processes and contents, the probability that you will become successful in your subject area is enormous!

In order to see clearly here, you should be aware of the following. You are currently also in an actual state of your life that you would like to change, which is why you are reading this book. It is essential to find out what you want, what target state you want to achieve, in other words, what is your goal? It is well known that people have different dreams for their future, so you have to find out where you want to go, what your personal concrete goal is. As soon as you know which target state you want to achieve, the next step is a clear analysis and the creation of a catalogue of measures, whereby this book