Have you ever looked at the world’s most successful brands and wondered what made them so great? As someone leading an amazing organisation focused on supporting you in your business, I do this all the time. And I’ve come to some conclusions.

While I don’t think there’s a specific recipe for success, I do think there are a number of essential ingredients that are common to great leaders and great companies. I firmly believe that anyone in business, no matter the size of their enterprise, can enjoy real success if they embrace these ingredients—and that includes you and your business.

The example I’m going to use is Apple, because it really provides the modern template.

When a couple of twenty-something college dropouts started working out of Steve Jobs’ family garage in 1976, they had no idea what Apple would go on to become. What’s made them such a success? A lot of things. Here are four of those ingredients, and how you can leverage them in your own business:

Constantly innovate and appeal to a wide range of people.

Keeping up with innovative new vehicle technology requires constant investment in equipment and skills development. Customers expect us to be able to solve their problems, and there’s not always a textbook available. We need to be able to think creatively. And we need to develop the people skills that allow us to attract and retain customers (and employees), so we can interact positively with whomever comes through the door.

Become a brand in and of yourself.

Steve Jobs, as the face of Apple, was a brand in his own right—and his leadership was integral to the success of the company. You are your own brand; be the face of your business in your community. Be recognisable. Research also shows people who choose independent workshops like talking to the person who is working on their car, so get to know your customers.

Have a clear plan to make a difference.

Success doesn’t happen overnight or by accident. Apple had clear aims to make a difference. What distinguishes them is come up with innovative solutions and then make them better. So, look around, see what others are doing, come up with ideas, and then execute them better than anyone else..

Have a relentless focus on customer service.

While it’s obviously the products that drive Apple’s success, the company is also really focused on providing great customer service. That helps them get buy-in from their customers, winning them a customer for life. Provide your customers with warm, friendly, exceptional customer service every single time and they’ll keep coming back.

You don’t have to be a company the size of Apple to enjoy the success of Apple. You can take the ingredients of their success and create your own recipe. Success won’t be instant. Don’t forget, Apple started in a garage. The secret is to constantly work at becoming better. It’s okay to take incremental steps towards improving your systems, processes, time-management, skills, and customer service. Every step forward is progress.

Yours in cooperation,

David Fraser

Group CEO