Can the 4% solution help you transform YOUR business?

Read Time: 2 ¾ Minutes Executive Brief #2: by Stephen Steckly

Part 1 of this 2-part Executive Brief…

The Problem

Every 24 months, the total amount of information in the world doubles. In this rapidly expanding information jungle, how can you find the right answers – the answers you can count on to help you improve your business the best?

The problem is simply this – in order to achieve the maximum impact for your business with the minimum effort, and in the shortest timeframe; how do you identify exactly what to learn, what strategies to employ, and what new skills to master?

The 4% Solution

In 1906 Vilfredo Pareto created his ‘Pareto Principle’, which became commonly known as the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule states that for many phenomena, only 20% of the causes produce roughly 80% of the effects. While there are few absolutes in business and in life, this rule has proven to be a valuable predictor.

Let’s apply the 80/20 rule to your self-development program. The rule predicts that 20% of your growth in knowledge and skill will result in 80% of your desired improvement.

In order to discover the ‘4% Solution’, we simply extend the 80/20 rule. Here’s how.

If we take 20% of your potential ‘knowledge and skill’ growth, then multiply that by 20% again, this mathematical calculation produces an answer of 4%. And if we take 80% of your desired improvement, and multiply that by 80% again, it equals 64%.

For added clarity, see the table below.

NEW

No 80/20 Rule

80/20 Rule Applied Once

80/20 Rule Applied Twice

Desired Improvement

100%

80%

80% X 80% = 64%

Knowledge & Skills

100%

20%

20% X 20% = 4%

Does this mean that only 4% of your efforts to learn more and increase your skills can produce 64% of the results you desire? Actually, there is strong evidence that the 4% Solution is frequently as valid as the 80/20 rule when applied to phenomena such as self-development.

Two Reasons Why Utilizing the 4% Solution can be Transformational in YOUR Business…

1. To keep your business functioning, you perform many important day-to-day tasks that consume most of your time and energy. You need to maximize the impact of the time and energy you have left for new initiatives and self-development. You achieve that by focusing on the priorities - the 4% Solution work.

2. Try to improve one thing, and there is a good chance that you’ll succeed. Try to simultaneously improve several things and you risk achieving nothing; simply because your energy is too fragmented to achieve success. When you have clearly identified your 4% Solution priorities, you can work sequentially on one priority at a time.

How can you identify the 4% Solution option that is likely to produce the greatest impact? Ask yourself, “If everything is proceeding normally in my business, what is the one thing I could change to produce the greatest improvement?” Your answer will likely be a high priority 4% Solution.

In Part 2 of this executive brief, we will reveal the specific areas where most clients find their 4% Solutions.

By the way, BaseCamp4 has an effective process that can help you discover both your personal and your Company’s 4% Solutions. If your annual revenues are more than $2 million and less than $50 million or if you are a professional billing more than $400 thousand per year, we will take you through this discovery process free of charge.

Download a printable PDF of this executive summary here.