Last Saturday, I had the honor of being a guest on a local radio show. The topic was how to make a business wildly successful. Here are some ideas to help you succeed beyond your wild imaginings!

1) Integrity.

This is the number one factor of success in business. Truly. Don’t take shortcuts. Strive to have integrity in your business, in your client relationships, with your vendors.

When you take shortcuts, you will be hurting yourself in the long run. And it will come back to haunt you sooner or later. If you do not walk in integrity, your reputation will suffer and this will damage your brand.

2) Come through with your promises.

This kind of goes along with integrity, but this is so important. Increasingly, it seems like the work ethic is lost to business owners. The path of least resistance seems to be the modus operandi. This can encompass not returning phone calls promptly, missing deadlines, and performing shoddy work. You do not want your customer to be dissatisfied, you want your customer to be dazzled, so they’ll come to you over and over again. Because the best customer is a repeat customer.

Under promise and over deliver. That is the sure way to dazzle your customer. And your brand will sizzle as a result!

3) Support from your family.

I would say this is one of those nice things, that would be icing on the cake, but sometimes not always realistic. It is great to be on the same page with your family members, especially your spouse. If you are not, then I would devote some serious prayer to the matter and explain to your spouse or loved one your vision and ask lovingly for concrete ways they can support you.

God has worked amazing circumstances in our lives because my husband and I have the same vision. He thoroughly supports my business and I support his. The result is incredible. And most importantly, it has brought us closer together as a couple. I have never been so in love with my husband. And he knows I have full respect for his talents and a desire to see him succeed. This has helped him in the process of launching out on his own. And conversely, his belief in me has given me courage to stretch myself in new ways.

4) Take care of yourself.

Now, full disclosure. I don’t do so well with this. I am trying to change that one little goal at a time. But adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, fun, relaxation, and quiet time for yourself is so important. If you are not taking care of yourself, there is no way you can take care of your family and your business.

It’s like what the flight attendants tell you before takeoff: if there is an emergency, first YOU breathe into the oxygen mask BEFORE you give it to your child!

5) Don’t let relationships suffer.

It’s easy, as an entrepreneur, to work all the time. And when you work at home, it’s even easier. There’s no barriers, no fences to say this is the time to work and this is the time to be with my family or to spend time with your husband or to spend time with friends. You have to set those boundaries yourself, boundaries that will work for you and your family.

My husband and I struggled with this early on in our relationship. He would wait to spend time with me until after whatever project he was working on was done. I would get resentful. This became a vicious cycle. Finally, we learned to spend a few moments together before he spent time on his project so I was able to let him go for his “cave” time–his projects. Then he had more energy later to be with me later.

And now, a weekly date night is a MUST on our calendar. We almost paid a very steep price for neglecting us and letting busyness get away. Make regular date nights with your spouse a priority, even if all you do is go out for coffee.

May these ideas help you have a sizzling brand and a dazzling future!

Want more ideas on how to have a wildly successful business? Take my free mini-course, 5 Steps to a Wildly Successful Home Business at http://www.WildlySuccessfulHomeBusiness.com

Photograph by Sam Beasley.