July 17, 2020 3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Make an empire, not a business.

If you want to be timeless, you need to be flexible.

The thing about my business is that, if the situation requires changing the business model or expansion, I don’t need to start from the beginning. I know the components of what my business does — outsourcing services, media services, e-commerce, to name a few. We can be versatile to do whatever our customers need.

As an entrepreneur, you should not limit your goals to a small mom-and-pop corner store that never grows beyond a single location. Think big like McDonald’s. McDonald’s and similar businesses are in nearly every major city in the world.

Related: Need a Business Idea? Here Are 55.

Market awareness is vital. It’s vital to be constantly aware of changes happening in your target market and the overall global business environment and move with it, as the situation requires.

Here are tips to help you think big:

Think globally

In your mind, your business should be global and not limited to a small location. When you think in global terms, you will get ideas and a vision to make it reach that level. 

Indeed, your mind is as vast (or narrow) as you make it. And with the current global reach, online and offline, there is no reason why you shouldn’t think globally.

Instead of thinking about your store in a small locality, imagine your branch in every city of the world.

Expand your offerings

Don’t limit to one product or service. Amazon can sell books as well as farm produce. No one questions it when it tries to go into electric cars or anything else. Elon Musk can do space exploration, electric cars, and online payment processing. Why should you not have the same freedom?

Related: Being Bored Is the Best Thing That Can Happen to Your Business

Be everywhere

The internet allows you to be on many mediums and reach industry leaders far and wide. Why should you not take advantage of it? There is no reason not to take advantage of nearly every social media platform.

Be fearless

Put embarrassment in a box and lock it. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant your business is, don’t allow it to stop you from putting your message in front of global industry leaders.

Overdeliver

The way your business presents itself should be flawless. If you can make your clients 100% happy, make them 120% happy. If you can deliver 110% results, deliver 200%.

Be in the business of helping customers

Make your customer’s success your only goal when you provide a service or product. Ask yourself, what is it that my customer wants to achieve. And then make sure what you deliver does that, irrespective of the amount the customer paid or whether you provided the service free.

Related: How to Start a Side Hustle With Little or No Money

Embrace hope

I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer, combined with hope and gratitude, can make things happen that otherwise won’t. When I started providing career services, I would pray the business would be a success. All the time. Several years later, I saw that my clients were happy with the services and we helped many of them get jobs in multinational companies — something I had never thought of at the time.