How Saying Yes Can Grow Your Business Faster

Executive Summary

• Life, and especially business, is full of hard choices.
• While there can be a great opportunity cost of saying 'yes', it has the potential to open up opportunities that would never be found otherwise.
  

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In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

- Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt

Life is about the decisions you make. And every single day there are countless decisions to be made. Some are great opportunities, some are duds. Some will take you directly to where you want to go in your business and some will provide a more scenic route. Before you decide to say yes to everything that drops on your desk, ask these questions:

• What purpose will this serve?
• Why would saying no be a bad option?
• Can my time be better spent on something else?
• Could someone else do this for me?

You might not have a satisfactory answer for all, or most, of these questions, but if the answer to that remaining question is a compelling reason to say yes, then do exactly that.

So, Why Say Yes?

Sometimes it’s as simple as believing you’ll find a quick, efficient way to learn something or to answer a question that will help move your business forward.  

You rarely learn anything by avoiding challenging situations or avoiding opportunities to grow. If it looks like something that will aid you in your career development, then say yes.

Saying yes to someone with an idea that may not be all that great, could shine a light on something that has never been considered before. It could change the direction of a situation and break through a wall that has seemed insurmountable in the past. 

You could be encountering an opportunity that in some way will change your life. How can you pass that up? For example, if you have a fear of public speaking, if given the opportunity to speak at a conference, say yes.  You might meet the person who will help you or help your business accelerate. 

Being a person who says yes shows others that you can be an optimist. If you are always seeing the negative side of an issue or always saying no, it will affect you psychologically, as well as others who may want to interact with you (or maybe not interact with you). So, say yes!

Yes is a thriving word, it energizes, encourages safety and trust, and makes creativity grow. When you feel neutral to slightly negative, say yes instead!

Sometimes to grow a business, you need to give people the impression that you can do something that you’ve never done before. You have the resources, you have the knowledge, you just have not been afforded the opportunity to prove yourself yet.

Saying yes to being helpful is another great opportunity to grow a positive and optimistic point of view. Help someone who helped you, help someone who might be able to help you, and definitely help people without the ability to return the favor. It doesn’t matter who you’re helping, just say yes!

Conclusion - Getting to Yes

If you've made it to this point, you are trying to learn to say yes.

Working towards a new mindset is one thing, but putting it into practice is another challenge. Here are some examples of moving to yes you can try this week:

• Build a network of support and influencers who may be able to help you and your business grow
• Eliminate clutter! Not only office clutter but mental clutter too. Say yes to getting focused.
• Say yes to not getting overwhelmed. Do not try to change everything overnight. Do it all in baby steps. You can’t change everything in one day or a week or even a month. Say yes to taking the first step.

There are many ways that saying yes can help your business grow, even if at first consideration it seems like a poor use of time and resources. It will help you grow into a positive, optimistic person who people like to have around. You’ll be the first vendor that a customer contacts because you’ve given the impression of being positive, and helpful. You’ll be the business that an investor will want to invest in because they will see the confidence of someone who wants to advance and grow.

Just say yes!

*Originally published April, 14th 2019 | Updated February, 17th 2021