Organisation is absolutely beyond any reasonable doubt, in my humble opinion, the greatest tool you have within your power to prevent your business from becoming one of the infamous 'business failure' statistics.

Right off the bat, your chances of hitting a six in any new business venture are slim. Choosing to get and staying organised from the initial planning stages of your business will help you to protect your investments.

To help yourself avoid being a negative business statistic, aim to adopt good listening skills. Having experience and knowledge of the business you are venturing in is a plus even before you make your first dollar.

If you don't, be willing to attend business classes in conjunction with surrounding yourself with smart people who have positive sound business experiences and attitudes.

As a child, my granny use to tell us children to think seriously about why we have two ears and one mouth, and let that dictate how much we use both. Listen carefully to what your mentors, customers, suppliers and your staff have to share.

Many businesses tend to get in a comfortable zone and forget the customer is always right, even when they are off in left field and we would like for them to stay out there. Our financial bottom line dictates we need them.

Lack of experience or education in a business venture can be another direct route to a dead-end business destination that you can avoid.

Overcome these obstacles by finding yourself a mentor to help you work on areas that need improvement.

Mentors can be retired business executives who are willing to share their wealth of experience and advice. Seek them out. Try to implement some of their ideas or suggestions.

If you don't, they may get fed up. You should attend continuing adult and business education classes, subscribe to periodicals relating to your business and attending self-improvement workshops.

Seek out classes and workshops not only pertaining to your weaknesses and deficiencies but also attend classes that will develop your knowledge of business, accounts, public relations, marketing, and IT (information technology).

Service and private organisations hold seminars and workshops sometimes at minimal cost and at other times free of charge. Whenever possible you should take advantage of those seminars and workshops.

Join the public library, it's free. For a small annual charge, you can also become a member of the Bermuda College library. Gaining knowledge on all aspects of your business environment, including how the present economic world climate is affecting businesses overall, will help you immensely.

Remember the cliche -- knowledge is power! It is also vital that you surround yourself with positive people. The green eyed jealous monster will unmask itself. Learn to recognise it for what it is, and weed it out of your company.

Negativism and pessimism will only drag you down. Don't allow the negative attitudes of family members, friends, nor business colleagues to influence you to give up. Rome was not built in a day and any new business venture needs time to nourish its development. There will be an abundance of growing pains along your paths to success.

When Bill Gates of Microsoft first started out, I'm sure there were a few skeptics and where would he be today if he had given up? No one knows for sure, but because of his positive insights, we now read about his business accomplishments and prosperity in every major magazine. Positive influence is essential and can further motivate you to succeed.

Surround yourself with smart and successful people. Your positive enthusiasm will gain momentum with those around you, especially your staff members and can eventually filter through to your hard to reach clients.

Don't be naive. There will be tons of people with some of the best sales pitch trying to get you to buy into their ideas. However, keep in mind that all that glitters is not gold.

Conduct your own research into any proposal before committing yourself or placing your hard-earned cash up front. Beware of any `get-rich-quick' opportunities.

The secret to success is work. Some people may work less or more than others and accomplish more or less, but nevertheless some sort of legitimate work has to be done in order to taste the sweetness of success.

Lastly, don't block yourself in a corner by not accepting advice and especially constructive criticism from others. Remember always that there is one thing for sure that will change and that is change itself. Learning to accept change and dealing with it will allow you to grow with your business.

Allow your creative juices to flow. Learn to recognise the concrete potential in your ideas. By referring back, and revising if necessary, the goals you wrote down initially, a smoother sail into your business destination is within reach.

Cindy Swan is a Professional Organizer with over 20 years of office administrative managerial experience and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. Address inquiries to Cindy Swan, PO Box 304 St.

George's GEBX or email her at bermudagolf y ibl.bm