People ask me all the time, “Ken, what’s the number one thing I can do to make my business better?” My answer is always the same: there is no silver bullet. There is no single trick that will produce a magical transformation; rather, it’s a series of tweaks – some major, some minor – that will lead to dramatic results.

After 30 years of studying and coaching successful entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed that the most successful tend to have four habits in common, and these are things you can and should put into practice yourself. The first three are succinctly outlined in Optimize for Growth: How to Scale Up Your Business, Your Network, and You, written by my friend Jonathan B. Smith. You really should get this book; it’s a quick read, and it will explain how these practices work in concert with one another, and inspire you to make them part of your standard M.O.

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Does this gardening incident sound familiar? “My son ran over my rosebush with the lawn mower. I thought for sure it was dead! But to my amazement, it came back stronger and more vibrant than ever.” It seems like most of us have a gardening incident somewhere in our past. Aside from teaching your son to spare the shrubbery, there is a business lesson in this gardening incident, too. It’s about pruning for growth.

It’s arguable that the same vision, hard work, techniques and patience that are required to grow a vibrant garden are also required to grow a vibrant business. Just like gardening, growing a business is a blend of science, art, and practice.

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During a recent client session I asked the team, “What can we do next quarter to improve our performance on quarterly rocks?” One member said she needed to improve her ability to multitask. Caught up in the moment, I responded, “There is no such thing as multitasking; it’s a myth that some use to explain away our lack of focus on what’s important.” I then admitted that I also struggle with what seems like an impossible balancing act of competing priorities.

In his book Essentialism, the Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown describes the fast and sophisticated world most of us live in. He paints a very clear picture of how and why this happens. McKeown also provides an excellent framework for rethinking our habits in order to live a more purpose-driven life, both personally and professionally.

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Finding and keeping good people is difficult. As unemployment rates have gone down, this complaint has become more common. Whether it’s tied to a feeling that the younger generation doesn’t fit the workplace or the anguish of watching a great hire crash and burn, getting and keeping great people for your company is usually one of the top frustrations we hear about from business owners.

I’m sorry to say that it may not be economic conditions or the educational system – it may be you. The good news is, this is a huge issue in most companies, so you’re not alone – and it can be fixed!

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“Buy-in” is one of those business catchphrases that is so overused, nobody seems to know what it really means anymore.

You already know it’s important for your employees to buy in to what your company is doing. But what does that really mean? We should start by calling buy-in what it really is: emotional engagement. And what is emotional engagement? It’s the “why” of your company and your people.

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Entrepreneurs love success. For that matter, who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of making progress or overcoming challenges…or just simply winning?

Entrepreneurship is all about what’s possible – what we can create – or the boundaries that we feel compelled to push and expand.

But with success there comes the need to manage more people, satisfy more customers, and maintain more processes.

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