So let me ask you—how’s your business doing?
When it comes to running a business, I’ve learned that the key success factor is the right attitude.
There are two common mindsets I see every day:
Customer-oriented
Numbers-oriented
A customer-focused business asks: “How can I really help people?”
It’s about:
Solving real problems
Making life easier for customers
Building trust that lasts
A numbers-driven business asks: “How can I hit my targets or improve metrics?”
It’s about:
Revenue and profit
Conversions and traffic
Efficiency and margins
Metrics are important—but they should guide, not define, the purpose of business.
Look at the examples and see the difference:
1. Building a Website
Numbers-focused: “How many SEO keywords can I stuff in to rank higher?”
Customer-focused: “How can I make this site really useful and easy for visitors?”
2. Choosing a Product Line
Numbers-focused: “How do I maximise profit and cut costs?”
Customer-focused: “Does this product truly help people? Will it solve a real problem?”
3. Writing My First Book
When I wrote my first book, Get Rid of Your Accent, I calculated how much money I would make. But this was not my main drive. I wrote it because I wanted to help people with a problem I had myself: an unintelligible foreign accent. I knew how frustrating it was to feel misunderstood or ignored. I wanted to give others confidence and clarity in their speech.
I focused on helping, not earning. And because of that, the book became an international bestseller. That one act of putting people first naturally led to more books, apps, and video courses—all built to continue helping people communicate confidently.
So let me ask you again —how’s your business doing?
If the numbers are dropping, maybe it’s not the market or the timing—it might be your attitude. Maybe somewhere along the way, you forgot the most important thing: the people you’re here to serve.
Serving them well isn’t just good ethics—it’s the heart of a business that lasts.
Warmly
Olga Smith