Key success factors are a scientific tool for the success of companies, managers and entrepreneurs. Features of key success factors What are key success factors

CFU (CFS) is an abbreviation well known to top managers, coaches and business analysts. We'll tell you how key success factors help you survive the competition and relate to another important indicator - KPI.

From the article you will learn:

Nobody wants to be among the outsiders, but achieving success in business is not easy: you need to constantly study the market and clearly understand what types of resources to use at one time or another. Understanding what is really important in competition helps both mini-enterprises and large transnational corporations to stay afloat.

Therefore, CFUs have remained one of the most powerful management tools for decades - key factors of success (career, project, organization as a whole). The scientific model, first formulated by Ron Daniel back in 1961, does a good job of explaining the reasons for commercial success and failure. In the article you will find a general classification of success factors and a comparative table of CFUs for different industries.

Key factors for enterprise success

Key, or critical success factors (KFU, CFS, critical success factors) are called strategically important opportunities and goals that determine the success of the enterprise and shaping its mission. We are talking about the strategic objectives that a company must solve and the results it must demonstrate in order to succeed in the market and increase its competitiveness. These include:

• strategic forces - assets and competencies that allow you to beat competitors;
• strategic needs - assets and competencies that do not provide direct competitive advantages, but their absence weakens the company's position.

KFU should not be confused with key performance indicators (KPI or KPI, key performance indicator). Performance indicators measure success, while CFUs are used to indicate the conditions necessary for successful performance. For example, the opening of a new retail outlet, which increased the total sales volume and, accordingly, the profit received, is classified as a CFU. And the indicator of effectiveness in this case will be the influx of new clients, for example, 15 people per week.

Success factors are not stable and may change over time. Thus, at the stage of development and launch of mass production of a new product, the mechanisms for bringing it to market are of priority importance, and after some time the financial result becomes more significant. At the stage of business growth, one of the main goals is to increase the scale of production and expand the sales market, while at the maturity stage maximum attention is paid cost effectiveness as one of the main tools for achieving competitive advantage.

The list of forces and needs that are of key importance for the company is compiled taking into account the means of competition used, the principles of business organization, and the economic and technical characteristics of the industry.

Branch of the economy	Critical Success Factors
Food industry	Product quality, wide distribution network, brand or company image, public demand
Agriculture	Scale and location, availability of the latest breeding achievements, policy of government protectionism
Mining of oil and gas	Location of facilities and quality of infrastructure, state tax policy
Rail transportation	Technical condition of trains, personnel qualifications, availability of organizational and technical innovations
Air transport	Technical condition of the aircraft fleet, qualifications of maintenance personnel and flight crews, company image, availability of government benefits

».

Sergei Pushkin answers,
HR Director of the World of Childhood company.

Thanks to this, it becomes clear to me how to optimally relate payroll costs to the company’s turnover. For example, there is a goal - to increase sales by 20%. Using these three parameters, I evaluate whether there are the right number of employees to achieve this goal, how efficient they are, how busy they are...

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What are the organizational success factors: 7 main types

All success factors for a project or enterprise can be grouped into seven different types (sometimes more groups are distinguished, dividing the main types into subtypes). First group factors related to technology and include:

• competent organization of scientific research;
• use of innovations in products and production processes;
• attracting technology experts.

Second group associated with production, it includes:

• quality of production and its optimal placement, minimizing production costs;
• high labor productivity and availability qualified personnel;
• production efficiency and high capital productivity;
• cheap technical support and design;
• opportunity quickly rebuild production for the release of new models and types of products.

Third group related to distribution:

• presence of a wide network of dealers and distributors;
• the presence of its own trading network and retail trade that generates income;
• possibility of fast delivery of products to points of sale.

Fourth group factors related to marketing policy. Increase the company's chances of commercial success:

• availability of a guarantee for the product;
• high professionalism of employees;
• good product design and packaging;
• wide range of products offered;
• high level of service and maintenance;
• proven methods of working with clients.

Fifth group factors related to qualifications:

• availability of talented motivated specialists, experts in design and technology;
• strict product quality control;
• interesting, accessible and accurate advertising;
• the ability to introduce new types and brands of products to the market.

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Sixth group includes factors related to the company's capabilities:

• availability of high-quality information systems;
• professionalism of top managers and management in general;
• flexibility, ability to adapt to rapidly changing conditions;
• availability of know-how in the business management system.

IN seventh group It is customary to highlight all other success factors of a team or an individual project that do not belong to any of the six types above, for example:

• adequate financial capabilities;
• the organization’s awareness of its leading position in the market;
• good reputation, favorable image;
• availability of protected patents.

Analysis of key success factors

In order to survive the competition and get the expected profit, it is important to determine in advance the key factors for the success of a company or an individual project, taking into account existing and projected market trends. Finding out what to focus on first will help set the company on the right path. Otherwise, there is a risk of choosing the wrong strategy, resulting in lost profits and lack of competitive advantage.

To begin, gather a group of specialists who will conduct analytical work and identify key success factors. An example is the creation of “strategy sessions” with the involvement of managers appointed by management. During the session, the planning group develops proposals (what needs to be learned, which goals to prioritize) with reasonable arguments. In general, CFIs must meet four criteria: Top managers believed that discussing strategy was a matter for shareholders. We managed to convince him when we started drawing the future together

The answer was prepared jointly with the editors of the electronic magazine “ ».

Anastasia Romanova answers,
Deputy head of the representative office for personnel management of the international holding RD Group.

We gathered top managers and announced that we needed to develop a company strategy. There was deathly silence in the room. Someone said that shareholders should do this. I began to ask which companies in our market should be targeted, and tried to focus the attention of top executives on the future...

Taking into account all proposals received, critical factors for the success of the project are determined. Then, based on them, a SWOT analysis is carried out to understand what the strengths and weaknesses of the business are, as well as to identify the main threats and opportunities. Subsequently, the data obtained as a result of the SWOT analysis is used for detailed planning and allocation of funds.

Advice from the editor:

Model all the business processes occurring in the company on what the HR service and its individual divisions do. Consider how HR managers can participate in achieving strategic goals and help achieve them as quickly as possible. ABOUT read in the electronic magazine " " To read the article, sign up for demo access for 3 days.

Key Strategic Tools Evans Vaughan

24. Identifying Key Success Factors

Tool

“Knowledge comes, but wisdom remains,” said Alfred Tennyson. What wisdom do firms in your industry need to succeed?

The key success factors (hereinafter referred to as simply factors) help you figure this out. They are the ones that determine what firms need to do right to meet the customer purchasing criteria discussed in the explanation of the previous tool and also to have a strong business.

Typically, these factors include product (or service) quality, stability, availability, product range and product development (R&D). For services, such factors may include distribution capabilities, sales and marketing effectiveness, customer service, and after-sales technical support. Another group of factors relates to costs, including those arising from the location of office buildings and facilities, the size of operations, the general state of affairs, cost-effective equipment and the productivity of operational processes.

How to use this tool

To determine which factors are most important for each major segment of your business, you need to follow these steps.

1. Convert criteria into factors:

Related to differentiation;

Management;

Market share.

3. Set weights to the factors.

4. Determine the factors that must be taken into account.

Let's take a quick look at each of these steps.

Convert criteria into factors

In this step, we transform the criteria explored in the previous paragraph into factors. In other words, you need to determine what your business needs to do to meet these criteria.

Factors are often the flip side of criteria. Functionality may be such a criterion, and then R&D becomes a factor. Reliability may be such a criterion, and therefore quality control becomes a factor. Such a criterion may be the delivery of products according to a specified schedule, in which case spare capacity and/or production efficiency become factors. All of these factors are related to differentiation.

There is one factor that requires special attention. This is the price. Customers of most services expect it to be low. Therefore, suppliers need to reduce their costs. In this case, price is the criterion and cost competitiveness is the factor.

Forces that influence your business's cost competitiveness may include plant location, material costs, operational efficiency, subcontracting, outsourcing some business processes, overhead control, compensation levels, and availability of information technology systems.

Size may also be important. All other things being equal, the larger the business, the lower its costs should be for each unit of product sold. In this case, there are “economies of scale” (Tool 25), which may be reflected in more than just unit material costs or variable costs, where the larger business benefits from the volume discount it can achieve in negotiations with a supplier, but also on overhead costs associated with, say, marketing, where the same costs, such as advertising in a magazine or attending a trade show, can be spread over a broader revenue base.

From the set of criteria identified using the previous tool, we derive two sets of factors: one related to differentiation, the other related to cost. But there are two more factors that require consideration: management and market share (see Figure 24.1).

Rice. 24.1. Obtaining Key Success Factors

How important is management in general to your industry? In your industry, you can probably remember how a well-run company with an excellent sales and marketing team, supported by a team that runs efficient operations while producing an average product, performs better than a poorly managed company with a great product. product.

Finally, there is another important factor, the last one to be taken into account, although it is not directly derived from the criteria: market share. The greater the relative market share, the stronger the supplier's position.

High market share can manifest itself in a number of different competitive advantages. One of these is lower unit costs, but we have already looked at this in our analysis of the economies of scale achieved by examining the factors that relate to costs, and so this issue must be approached carefully so as not to count anything twice.

Market share is an indicator of the breadth and depth of your customer relationships and the reputation of your business. Since it is much more difficult to obtain a new customer than to repeat a deal with an existing one, a supplier with a larger market share gains a competitive advantage - the power of an organization that already has a foothold in a given market.

This power grows in proportion to the costs associated with replacing a supplier, which are determined not only by financial costs, but also by time, new problems that arise, and even negative emotions. You know that it is much easier to change a printer than an accountant.

Give factors weights

You have already determined which factors in your business are most important and have ranked them in descending order of importance. Now they need to set weighting coefficients.

A simple quantitative approach works best here. Do not worry. You don't have to calculate the weighting factor to an accuracy of, say, 14.526%. Such precision is simply not needed here and would even be unnecessary. When assigning weighting factors, it is advisable to limit yourself to percentages, rounding them to the nearest 5 or 10, so that when working with the next building block, you can easily add up all the components and get a rating of your company's overall competitiveness.

With this approach, the same 14.526% will become a simple 15%. Higher precision is not required here. But how to get such numbers? There are two ways to do this: methodical and visual.

If you want to take a methodical approach, check out one of the options in the box below. If you prefer a visual option that allows you to quickly get an approximate answer, start with general reference levels: market share - 20%, cost drivers - 30%, management and differentiation factors - 50%. Then adjust them based on what you've learned is critical to success in your business. But be sure to check that with any changes their sum does not exceed 100%.

A systematic approach to determining weights for key success factors

Below is a systematic step-by-step approach to determining factor weights.

Based on your opinion of the strength of an organization that has already established a foothold in a given market, set a weighting factor for market share equal to i%, usually in the range of 15 to 25%.

Once again, analyze the importance of price for the customer. If, in your opinion, the importance of this need for the customer is average, set the cost competitiveness coefficient equal to 20-25%, if low - 15-20%, if high - 35% or more. If your business is in the consumer goods category, this ratio may be 40-45%, causing you to reduce your market share ratio accordingly. In general, specify it in the form with %.

Consider the importance of management factors to the success of your business, especially those related to marketing. In general, define them in the form m, usually varying from 0 to 10%.

Now you can use the amount ( i + c + m) % reflecting the weighting factors you use.

The remainder, namely 100 – ( i + c + m)%, represents the overall weighting of service factors.

Once again, refer back to the list of factors that fall into the service category, including price, which is already included. If you believe that a factor on this list is not important, give it a weight of 1. For an important factor, set it to 5. For the rest, give intermediate values ​​(for example, a factor between medium and high in importance could be assigned a weight of 4 ).

Add up all the coefficients that relate to the service factors (including price) and you get a value, which we will call S here.

Assign weights to each service factor using the following formula: factor score? (1 - [ i + c + m])/S.

Round the resulting value.

If the sum of all weighting factors does not equal 100%, make additional adjustments.

See how reasonable and justified the resulting values ​​look. If necessary, make final adjustments.

Double-check that the total is 100%.

Once you have the weightings, you need to evaluate the extent to which they might vary for each segment of your business. In particular, different consumer groups may often place different emphasis on price, and so cost competitiveness may be more important in one segment than in others. But customers from other business segments may be more interested in product quality or level of service.

Determine the factors that must be taken into account

One last note that may be very important.

Is there one factor in your business that is so important that if you don't rank it highly relative to others, you won't be able to stay in business at all? Without it, you simply won't be able to compete, let alone succeed? You will not be able to succeed in any business or you will not be able to enter into a business where you can succeed? In other words, are there factors that you must have, rather than fall into the “nice to have” category?

Should a business operating in your market have, for example, an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification in order to secure future orders in an increasingly competitive environment? Should he install new capital equipment, revolutionary in terms of the required costs? Should your product have a new, special feature?

Are there any factors in your industry that are considered must-haves? Always keep this question in mind when assessing your competitive position (Section 5).

When to use this tool

When to be careful

You should not have too many factors, because in this case you “may not see the forest for the trees.” A great option is where you have market share, management, two or three cost factors, and five or six differentiation factors for a total of about 10 factors.

Example. Under the influence of five forces, Woolworths could not resist

There was everything: fish and chips, baskets and spades, wool and other goods - everything that most clearly represented cheap products and the positive results of the British economy. But, alas, such diversity no longer exists.

We grew up next to Woolworths, or Woolies, as she was also called. We went there as children to buy toys and candy, in our youth - for records, cassettes and discs, as students - for cheap dishes, for parents - for branded children's clothing Ladybird and school uniforms, they gave pocket money to the children so that they could buy themselves sweets, after which this cycle was repeated with minor changes. Their branch New Cross It even became the site of one of the most tragic events on British soil during the Second World War: it was hit by a German V-2 rocket.

However now Woolies ceased to exist. It was in the year that the company was due to celebrate its 100th anniversary in the UK that it collapsed. True, it was still a significant force in British business and was the leader in the sale of sweets, ranked second in entertainment products and toys, fourth in household utensils and fifth in children's clothing. It had a turnover of over £2 billion and was the eighth largest retailer. And how, after all this, could she come to the point of putting herself up for sale, setting a price of £1?

There were many reasons for this, including the following:

A sharp decline in consumer demand after the credit crisis;

Requiring suppliers to pay in cash immediately upon completion of the transaction;

Shifting market share to specialty retailers like T oys R Us;

Transfer of part of the market share to direct competitors like Wilkinson, selling household utensils;

Transfer of part of the market share to discount stores like Poundland;

A sharp decline in market share for entertainment-related products at an increasing rate.

In this case, the last reason had the greatest impact on the negative outcome. Competition in the entertainment products sector, which has historically provided high profit margins, has intensified dramatically, with all five forces working against it. Woolworths.

Downloadable music has become a substitute for CDs and has taken away some of their share.

Online competition with structures such as amazon.com , play.com And dvd.com, led to a decline in sales of CDs and DVDs.

Stores that are part of supermarket chains began selling CDs and DVDs with popular works at a discount, which also contributed to the loss of market share.

Entertainment stores like HMV were forced to take competitors' offers into account when setting prices.

It was a real storm that hit not only Woolworths, but also to other companies, including Top Price, Zavvy and independent music stores. Under these conditions, even HMV had to change its structure.

Memorable memories of Woolies, of course, disturb the soul, but they already belong to yesterday.

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Key success factors (KSF)- these are those actions to implement the strategy, competitive opportunities, and performance results that each company must provide (or strive to achieve) in order to be competitive and achieve success.

KFU are benchmarks for a company in terms of capabilities and efficiency in achieving market results. The CFU methodology allows you to identify those areas where improvement of activities will be most effective. The areas in which CFUs may lie are standardized in the form of lists (Table 3.2).

Key Success Factors

1. Technology-dependent CFUs:

· quality of scientific research; · the possibility of innovation in the production process; · the ability to develop new products; · degree of mastery of existing technologies.

2. KFU related to production:

· low cost of production; · product quality; · high degree of utilization of production capacity; · favorable location of the enterprise, leading to savings on transportation costs; · access to skilled labor; · high labor productivity; Possibility of manufacturing a large number of different models sizes; · ability to fulfill consumer orders.

3. KFU related to product sales:

· wide network of wholesale distributors/dealers; · wide access/presence in retail outlets; · presence of retail outlets owned by the company; · low sales costs; · Fast shipping.

4. KFU related to marketing:

· highly qualified sales department; · a technical assistance system available to customers when purchasing and using products; · Accurate execution of customer orders; · variety of models/types of products; · art of sales; · attractive design/packaging; · guarantees for buyers.

5. KFU related to professional skills:

· special talent; · know-how in the field of quality control; · competence in the field of design; · degree of mastery/knowledge of a particular technology; · ability (ability) to create effective advertising; · ability to quickly move new products from the development stage · in industrial production.

6. KFU related to organizational capabilities:

· level of information systems; · ability to quickly respond to changing market situations; · Extensive experience and know-how in management.

7. Other KFU:

· favorable image/reputation of the company among buyers; · overall low costs; · favorable location; · pleasant, friendly employees; · access to financial markets; · presence of patents.

KPIs within the same industry vary greatly depending on the type of business and segment.

Stages of implementation of the CFU methodology:

1. The selection from standardized lists of KFU is carried out using the method of expert assessments or the Delphi method for each market and/or segment in which the company currently operates or plans to enter there. Selection of CFU for each market. It is necessary to select really important factors so that there are not too many of them, as this will significantly complicate the analysis of usually no more than 10. In addition, many factors have a strong correlation with each other, so excessive detail is not needed.

As an example, we will consider the AltM company, which produces water pumps. Experts have identified three main critical success factors for the professional water pump market in which AltM operates: reputation in the market, compliance with quality standards, and coverage of the territory by a dealer network.

2. Conducting an assessment of the company’s potential for selected KFU. Experts complete the format independently of each other, and then all scores are added together to determine the average.

The type of format for the example under consideration is presented in table. 3.1. The result of the first stage of implementation of the CFU methodology is the first three columns of the table. Column 3 “Factor weight” shows the rating value of the factors, which in turn, when using the results in planning, will allow you to highlight priorities. Experts evaluate the CFU for the AltM company - column 4, column 5 shows the company’s assessment taking into account the weight of factors.

Table 3.1. An example of an assessment of the CFU of the AltM company

Table 3.2. An example of assessing the potential of competitors in KFU

			Companies	competitor (1)	competitor (2)	competitor (3)
	Reputation in the market
	Compliance with quality standards
	Coverage of the territory by the dealer network

4. Development of assumptions that will be used further in the process of working on the QMS, in particular in the General Electric portfolio analysis model.

What is the secret of the success of some companies or divisions and the constant failure of others? It turns out that there is a scientific model to answer this question - a management tool called “Key (Critical) Success Factors.” This model has been widely used by corporations and entrepreneurs for 50 years. And it is not surprising, because the fate of the creator of this model is convincing proof of the effectiveness of this tool.

It is unlikely that you and I will follow the advice of an overweight nutritionist or an emaciated, sickly-looking therapist. It's the same in business. If a company is engaged in management consulting, it must demonstrate an example of prosperity. A striking example of such a company is McKinsey &Co, one of the most prestigious global management consulting companies. A significant part of its success and prosperity is due to Ron Daniel, who worked in McKinsey &Co for more than 30 years, in particular, for 12 of them he was the executive director of the company. In addition to working in McKinsey &Co, Ron Daniel was the director and chairman of a couple of other successful companies, held key positions in the management of Harvard University and its properties around the world, and raised several world-class top managers under his leadership.

Why am I going into such detail about Ron Daniel? Because he created the management tool in 1961 Key Success Factors, scientifically explaining the mechanism of success of companies and divisions. Agree that it certainly cannot be said about Daniel that he is a “shoemaker without boots”!

So what kind of amazing tool did this amazing top manager create?

The scientific definition of Key Success Factors states: KFU is a limited number of areas of activity, the achievement of positive results in which guarantees competitive success for a company, division or person. That is, these are the areas or factors that you should focus on in order to achieve success.

“Key Success Factors are those few areas in which everything must go smoothly to ensure success for a manager or company. Consequently, these are those areas of management activity or company work that should be given special and constant attention, achieving maximum results in them. KFU are not only areas vital to a company’s current prosperity, but also to its future success,” say Boenlon and Zmud, authors of the article “Research on Key Success Factors.” They also point out that there is a difference between a company's success factors, which are things that can help a company prosper in the future, and CFCs, which are a limited number of factors that require the constant attention of managers.

While we're on the subject of what shouldn't be confused with, let's separate Key Success Factors (CSFs) from . KPIs are measures of success, and KPIs are what drive success. For example:

• KPI – the number of new clients of the company must be at least 10 per week.
• KFU - the creation of a new call center that provides services to clients at a higher level, due to which, in fact, KPI indicators will be achieved.

Features and examples of Key Success Factors

1. Those involved in developing a company's strategy must have a good understanding of the area of ​​business or industry in which the company operates, because in each area of ​​business, in each industry, there are company KFUs.
2. KFU can relate to one of two areas: either work process management or personnel management. Do not neglect either one or the other area.
3. An important component in determining the CFU is the company's mission. KFU are a logical continuation of the mission and answer the question: “How to achieve the goal defined in the mission?”
4. Nowadays, very often the key factor is modern technology, improvement of the work process.
5. For manufacturing companies, the key factors are most often quality control, high labor productivity or low production costs. The optimal balance of these three factors can also be CFU.
6. For distribution companies, the key factors are most often a powerful distribution network and/or representation of the product in retail through its competent merchandising.
7. Factors related to marketing include brand strength, advertising and customer guarantees.
8. For the service sector, the key factors may be the qualifications of employees, speed of service delivery, and design.
9. KFU related to the human factor may include: strengthening team spirit, effective methods of accepting change, a culture of learning in the company, an effective system of vertical and horizontal communication.

And how to use all this in practice?

Bill Birnbaum, in his book Strategic Thinking: The Four Pieces of the Puzzle, offers the following methodology for defining and applying CSF in your company or division.

Step 1. To determine the CFU, the company should organize a “strategic session”, in which the company’s managers, selected by management to the planning group, participate.

Step 2. At the very beginning of the session, those gathered are asked to consider and write down the following sentence: “In order for our organization to be successful, we must be especially good at doing...”. At this stage, everyone thinks for themselves. You can write the company mission on a flip chart.

Step 3. Those gathered take turns voicing their answer and giving reasons for their opinion. Answers are recorded on a flip chart.

Step 4. The most important part of the process of identifying CFUs is the selection of two or three CFUs. As Bill Birnbaum writes, companies quite often choose 6-8 KPIs, which may include “understanding customer needs” and “hiring competent employees.” Managers can be understood; they are trying to cover all important areas of the company's activities. But the essence of KFU is not this, but the ability to focus efforts on the main thing. Birnbaum writes: “Focus is what is required for success. Focus on a limited number of the most important areas of your activity - two or three (no more) KFU. In any business there are two or three areas that determine success. If your company excels in these areas and remains mediocre in everything else, it will still succeed. Yes, you read correctly, remains mediocre in everything else.”

Step 5. Next, based on the CFU, a SWOT analysis, in which strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities are determined taking into account and based on the CFU. And SWOT analysis forms the basis for more detailed strategic planning. That is, CFUs become a compass in the company’s strategic planning process, setting the vector of change and allocation of funds.

Example of developing Key Success Factors

• Become Main Street's No. 1 store selling high-quality farm fresh products that go from farm to consumer within 24 hours for 75% of inventory with 98% customer satisfaction.

Based on the mission, the company's management compiled a list of strategic goals. Here he is:

• Gaining a 25% share of the local market.
• Achieve delivery of daily fresh products for 75% of the assortment.
• Maintain a 98% customer satisfaction level.
• Expand the range to attract new customers.
• Have sufficient shelf space to accommodate all products demanded by customers.

Now the store management is faced with the task of identifying the CFU. A list of candidates is compiled based on strategic goals. Here he is:

Strategic Goals	Possible KFU
Gaining a 25% share of the local market.	Increase the competitiveness of the store compared to competitors. Attract buyers.
Achieve delivery of daily fresh products for 75% of the assortment.	Maintain successful relationships with local suppliers.
Maintain a 98% customer satisfaction level.	Work with personnel: retaining valuable personnel and training in communication skills with customers.
Expand the range to attract new customers.	Find new local suppliers.
Have sufficient shelf space to accommodate all products demanded by customers.	Find funds to expand retail space. Successfully carry out construction while coping with possible business disruptions.

Now management needs to select 2-3 CFUs from this list.

• A key success factor for Farm Fresh Products is its relationships with local suppliers. Without their perfect debugging there will be no fresh goods, no expansion of the range, no competitive prices.
• The next most important factor is attracting buyers. Without new customers, the store will not be able to expand and increase its market share.
• The third factor is finding financing to expand retail space. The store will not be able to achieve its strategic goals without expansion, and this requires money.

CFU is a simple and effective tool for strategic planning by focusing efforts and finances on the main thing. Use it and it will lead your business to success!