It seemed like just yesterday I had registered the name Red PR, largely because I had red hair and my car’s number plates said red and red was a powerful colour. How that brand would translate over time and how the business would evolve to be such a success, no thought had gone into when I was an ambitious twenty- something. But here we are, in our 11th year of business, which makes me feel 1000 years old and as a small business owner there are a few things I now know for sure after 10 years sitting at my desk as the CEO of The Red Republic.

1. Don’t wait for new business to come to you – be a hunter. You are mistaken if you think your potential customers will wake up tomorrow and think I have to ring Fleur from The Red Republic. So go knock on their door first and show them how you can add value to their business.

2. Invest in your brand, how your brand is perceived by your customers is critical. And start communicating with them, now, because if you don’t, your competitors already are.

3. Create a culture that you love and are happy to be part of every day. In this day and age culture is what can make or break an organisation as work place satisfaction is such a motivator for Gen Y and X.

4. Update your website every single month with new content. Give your customers a reason to come back to visit you and be part of your brand journey.

5. Invest in SEO, no point starting a business and then complaining that no one can find you!

6. Don’t be afraid to evolve, if your business isn’t growing and changing you will be left behind.

7. Growing isn’t just about being bigger but, it is also about being better, so push your team to be the best they can be.

8. Not everyone will love you 100% of the time, this includes clients and staff. Your job is not to be liked by all, it is to be professional, be respected and to be the best at what you do. I have always subscribed to theory – be tough but always fair.

9. It’s not personal, it is business. Full stop….really hard sometimes to implement this in theory, but I am always trying.

10. Build your online asset, grow your social community, engage and get on board with social. The social media revolution came, went and it is here to stay, if you aren’t embracing it your business will be dead in a very short time.

11. Don’t work with suppliers that try to bully you, it will only end in disaster and on that note, know when it is time to fight the good fight and know when it is time to walk away from things that take your eye off the ball.

12. Be ethical – the world is small and the business community smaller.

13. No one will ever love your business the way you do, but find people to be in your tribe who share your vision and passion and reward them for it.

14. Employ people who are experts to help you in the areas you need assistance and employ people who are smarter than you. If you think you have nothing left to learn – you are wrong!

15. If you think it is time to let someone go, act decisively. The longer you let it drag on, the more poison it will create for your team.

16. Create a personal brand for yourself and be the best version of that you can be. What do you want to be known for in business?

17. When you are having a bad day come into the office with a smile on your face. You set the tone for the company, if you unload your mood on your team, expect them to do the same.

18. Don’t be afraid to have tough conversations, someone has to and it is your business so it has to be you. Sooner you do it, the sooner it is done.

19. Know your numbers – I am a wordsmith and numbers used to scare me. Now I know that if I don’t know and understand the numbers I can’t run the business.

20. No one ever drifted to the top of the mountain, if you think owning a business will be a road to a quick buck you are wrong. It takes years of dedication, investment and patience to grow a successful company, so you better be in it for the long haul.

Fleur Madden is the CEO of The Red Republic and Design by Republic with offices in Sydney and Brisbane.