I am talking about “role models” not to be confused with copying your competitor’s business plan. Find people who are accomplishing the goals you want to accomplish and model what they do to accomplish the desired result. Accordingly to Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org ) the term role model generally means any “person who serves as an example, whose behavior is emulated by others”. For example if you love the game of golf find the golfer that best fits you and start to model him/her e.g. swing, stance, practice regime, etc.

The same is applicable to business modeling. If you are looking to grow your golf property look for people who are experts at growing the game, golf properties and golf careers and model them. If the person(s) you are getting your advice from has not achieved the goals you are wanting do not take their advice. The 80/20 rule applies to almost all things in life. 80% of today’s golf properties are struggling; copying, modeling or even listening to their advice will only get you what they have…misery.

Don’t just look in one place or for one person to give you all of the answers either. A diversity of knowledge and independent thinking is healthy. You want a variety of perspectives; no one person is great at all things. It is imperative you find numerous role models to help you improve in all of departments of your golf facility.

When you find the ideal model mirror exactly what they do so you will get the exact same results. If it is a Golf Professional and he says get up at 4am every morning and hit balls…get up every morning at 4am and hit balls. If it is a golf course marketing consultant like MMC® (www.golfmmc.com) and they tell you to mail to everyone within a 20 mile radius of your golf property…mail to everyone within a 20 mile radius of your golf property.

Modeling works if you actually “model” what needs to be done and get your head and ego out of the way. You may not agree with the way your role model does everything and it will be easy to criticize but in the beginning try not to focus on anything but modeling everything until you too can produce the result; at which point it will be time for you to start adding and deleting things to come up with your perfect idea of a golf business model.