Right or wrong, but never in doubt. I have a friend who lives by that philosophy. It dictates his every word and action. Many mistake his behavior for arrogance, but in fact his adherence to that strict philosophy has brought him incredible success in business and in life. And if you want to maximize your business success, you should similar adopt my friend’s philosophy.

The key is confidence. The phrase doesn’t mean you’re always right, or even that you should never admit mistakes. What it means is that you have to forge forward without fear of failure, which can be one of the most difficult aspects of operating a small business. You have to make difficult decisions and take calculated risk, and constant second-guessing will only limit your growth. Once you’ve made up your mind, you have to execute your plan with the utmost confidence that you’re doing the absolute right thing.

Now, this isn’t to say you should repeat mistakes when you make them (and you will make them). But instead of lamenting past mistakes, you have to approach your next step as the “here and now” – do the right thing now. That might be to evaluate why your lastmarketing campaign failed, and then to send a new direct mail postcard to test its effectiveness. My friend didn’t achieve his amazing results by being stupid, but by studious learning.

That illustrates another key point: if you’re not 100 percent confident in your next move, you have some work to do before you make it. Do the legwork, weigh the pros and cons, and make your evaluations until you are confident in your next move. Knowing you’re making the right move allows you to proceed with confidence and forge the path to success.

Habitually afraid to take risks? Then you need to study the importance of risk-taking in business, and learn to properly evaluate them. Understanding that simply taking risks is sometimes the right thing to do is exactly what you need to bolster your confidence. What I’m saying is that sometimes, taking a risk is the right move regardless of the end result.

One of my favorite quotes comes from “The Shawshank Redemption”: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” It’s a philosophy that applies to both life and business. You have to strive to be the best, and you have to confidently progress. If not, you’re just wasting time.

Do you want your business to grow and prosper? Or do you want it to die? It’s time to make that decision. Right or wrong, but never in doubt.