In my last blog, I mentioned why objectivity is important for every business, even while upholding strong personal values. As promised, I will now discuss how this can be maintained.

The first step is well known. We need to have a mechanism for listening to our customers. Track feedback from every source — social media, calls, messages, emails, and even body language during in-person conversations. Customers often reveal what they truly want not just in words, but in patterns. Don’t filter their feedback through your personal preferences. Objectivity means accepting that your favourite may not be their favourite. Create simple systems to record, sort, and regularly review this feedback. If many customers are asking for a different flavour, a smaller pack size, or faster delivery, your job isn’t to defend your choices — it’s to solve their problem. Your product or service exists to fill a gap in their life, not to validate your ideas.

Test before you trust. Every entrepreneur gets excited by new ideas. That excitement is useful — but only if tempered by testing. Before you invest time, money, and energy into launching something new, experiment on a small scale. You could run a limited promotion, create a sample batch, or test the concept in one neighbourhood or online group. Use real-world data — how many people show interest, how many buy, how they respond — to decide the next step. Gut feelings can mislead when you’re emotionally invested. Let objectivity step in with a question: “What do the numbers say?”

Always document your decisions. Running a microbusiness involves hundreds of decisions — some big, many small. It's easy to forget why you chose a particular supplier or changed your pricing. A decision journal keeps you grounded. Every time you make a key decision, write down what prompted it: customer demand, cost analysis, instinct, or trend. Review your entries monthly or quarterly. You’ll start noticing patterns — maybe your emotional decisions don’t hold up, or maybe your most successful ideas came from customer insight. This record becomes your teacher, helping to build consistency over time.

It is your business, but a neutral voice is essential. When you work alone or with a small team, it’s easy to fall into an echo chamber. That’s why you need a neutral voice — someone not tied to the business emotionally or financially. This could be a mentor, a friend in a different industry, or a retired businessperson in your community. Explain your plan, let them ask hard questions, and be open to disagreement. They might see blind spots you’ve ignored. Objectivity often arrives through a different pair of eyes. The goal isn’t to follow their advice blindly — but to consider it without ego.

Lastly, without clear, measurable goals, every idea feels equally valid. But business is not philosophy — it needs direction. Set simple, trackable goals like monthly revenue targets, new customer counts, or repeat order rates. Each decision you take must connect to these goals. Ask yourself regularly: “Will this choice help me achieve what I’ve set?” If not, it needs to be re-evaluated.

Passion can fuel the journey, but goals keep the steering straight. Objectivity helps you stay focused on results, not just effort.