Are babies and business skills connected? At first glance, it may seem that they’re miles apart. For a start, babies are innocent little dears, without a clue about business. That may be so. However, knowledge is available everywhere, even from a baby. Watch their behavior closely and you’ll see the connection. They have amazing skills you can adapt to help develop your business. Read on to find out more…

• Determination will get you results

Watching a four-month-old baby lying on a play mat trying to grab the toy hanging up above his head is fascinating. Every time their parents put them on the play mat, they grab for the toy. They punch their little arms outwards and upwards. While doing that, they aim their arms towards the toy. They’re focused on the task until finally, they’re able to touch it. After touching it, they try to pull it. But because they haven’t fully developed their motor skills, they can’t quite hold the toy. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop them. Every day they try a little harder till they’re able to hold the toy in their hands. Their determination eventually pays off.

As a business owner, you must have an attitude of determination. If a project fails, you lose some customers or don’t make the estimated sales, find out why. Test, investigate and improve what is not working. Keep trying till you see results. Don’t give up.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ~ Mayo Angelou

Perhaps lack of funds is causing you sleepless nights and banks keep turning you down. Instead of stressing, look for other options available to you. For example, venture capitalists are out there looking for business projects to fund. Crowdcube is a Crowdfunding investment platform with investors on board. They’re looking for businesses to pump cash into.

• Work on building strong relationships

Babies naturally smile at strangers, even if you don’t smile back at them. They’re not biased. All you have to do is make eye contact and you’ll get the biggest, warmest smile going. It’s hard to ignore his smiling face and not smile back. Next think you know, you’re making cooing noises to communicate with the baby.  And you’ve just made a new mini friend.

Building a solid customer relationship starts with friendliness. It’s essential to make that connection with your customers. Get to know them. Find out what tick their boxes.

Give them rewards, discounts, special offers and gift cards for being loyal. Publish their case studies and reviews on your blog or website. Boast about them on social media. Make your customers feel important. On top of that, provide excellent customer service to make them happy and sustain long-term relationships.

• Embrace an open-minded attitude

Babies mix freely with other babies from different ethnic groups and cultures. They crawl and play together. They even hug each other. They are not afraid of socializing with other babies who are different to them.

They’re keen to try new toys, eat new food and play new games. It’s part of the growing process.

To grow your business, be open to new ideas and endeavors. Step out of your comfort zone. Take risks sometimes. Adapt a unique culture and embrace change.

Don’t be afraid of running your business in a different way. Exclusivity should be part of your mission statement.  Always be excited to start a new trend. A flexible approach will propel you to be poles apart from your competitors. Don’t limit yourself to thinking outside the box. Do away with the box altogether.

Popsugar, a one-stop shop for busy individuals, is rocking the design business world.

“Popsugar’s content covers everything its target demo is interested in — entertainment, celebrity, fashion, beauty, fitness, food and parenting — in a variety of formats, including online, in-app and on TV. In 2007, the company acquired shopping search engine ShopStyle, and piggybacking off the Birchbox trend launched Popsugar Must Have, a subscription box curated by Popsugar editors. It’s become a global lifestyle brand with 41 million unique visitors and 234 million pageviews monthly.” Source

• A Judgmental approach will harm your business

Babies don’t have a clue about being judgmental. They naturally trust anyone. Give a baby food and if they’re hungry, they will eat it. They will not judge you and refuse it because you’re not their parents. Nor will they judge you because of your race, age, gender or religion.

Customers come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They’re from all walks of life. They’re diverse. It’s important not to judge them based on misconceptions.

What if a scruffy, unkempt person walked into your shop? How will you treat them, over the smartly dressed customer? Because of their appearance, maybe you presume they’ll steal from you. But, they probably have more money than the other customer.

In addition, when dealing with a customer who might be annoyed, don’t judge them. First, find out why they’re angry. Don’t presume to know.

If one of your employees is having a bad day, talk to them. Get to the bottom of their story. You don’t know why they’re in a foul mood. Instead of judging, communicate.

Many times, we judge people wrongly based on the assumptions of others.

In conclusion, babies are more than little cuties. Take some time to study their traits. Look at the hidden entrepreneurial skills in them. Learn from them and implement the skills in your business.