The extraordinary performance of the Brownlee brothers in the Olympic triathlon got me thinking.  It wasn’t their seemingly endless stamina or the fact that Alistair, after swimming 1500 meters and cycling 43 km, ran the 10km phase faster than the last man across the line in the 10k track final. It wasn’t their total commitment to the sport either, their youth or their infectious good humour. It was the fact that they were already looking forward four years to the next Olympics in Rio and talking about their preparations.

As businessmen, we can learn so many lessons from our great Olympians, but this is one of the most fundamental. It is all too easy to rest on our laurels. To succeed in business we should be constantly striving for the next goal, not dwelling on past glories. The previous month’s or year’s results might be important for fiscal reasons and as a source of data from which you can plan.  But rest on your laurels and you might fall asleep like the Flopsy Bunnies and end up in Mr McGregor’s sack.

Of course, much of the work we do for small businesses at TLA has to involve looking into the past. We have to report on results, prepare accounts and file returns.  The bread and butter of any accountancy practice.  But what we really enjoy doing, and we do it well, is helping our clients to look forward.

Like the Team GB coaches, we start by analysing how you are performing today, work out your real business potential and then create a plan to get you there. At the heart of this process, your new business plan is backed up by benchmarking reports showing where your competitors might be beating you and where your strengths lie. We can then apply specially developed tools to help you outsmart them.

As every successful businessman knows, there is nothing more enjoyable and exciting than achieving your goals and beating your competitors.  But, while we can definitely help you to make your business succeed,  I can’t promise to make you quite as excited as Alistair Brownlee, who woke up on the morning of his Olympic final feeling “…so excited – just like a kid at Christmas.”

For a free no-obligation chat about how we can help you set and achieve your goals email miketombs@tlaservices.co.uk or contact us through our website at www.tlaservices.co.uk.