Too many business owners are stuck in the ‘busyness’ trap of working in their business and not making the time (a priority) to intentionally design the business they actually want to be in. If you are in the business of providing a service, in an ideal world you want to spend 60% of your time on production/service (doing the work) and the other 40% of your time on marketing, sales, administration, networking and personal development (developing the business).
If your goal is to leverage and grow your business, then you need a plan to position yourself for business growth. Nothing (intentional) happens without a plan.
“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Make a plan and take action toward your goals using this 5-step process to get unstuck and move forward with a little more ease and grace.
- Identify your goals. Write these down and be specific. You will have to measure your effectiveness at reaching your goals in some way that makes sense, so make your objectives quantifiable where possible.
Questions to ponder: What defines success for you? What is your 5-year business vision? What part(s) of your business do you love the most?
- Get clear and get focused. Identify the challenges you are having and prioritize them based on level of importance. Some things may be important while others may be urgent; know the difference.
Questions to ponder: What 5 things are working well in your business and what are the 5 things that are not working well? Which part(s) of your business do you feel you need the most support with?
- Create a solution plan for each of the challenges. Include what needs to be done, how long it will take, what resources are required, how much it will cost, and the benchmarks you’ll set to track success.
Questions to ponder: Where do you want to focus your time and expertise? What is the opportunity cost of doing something yourself versus having someone else do it?
- Take action. Create an implementation schedule for yourself and begin the execution phase of your solution plan. Focus on your strengths and get support for the areas outside of your core competency.
Questions to ponder: How can you create more space in your schedule? (Multi-tasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%) Can you create processes or automate tasks that you normally do manually?
- Track results. Develop a set of metrics to track each of your activities and keep a log as you go. Adjust your plan based on what is working for you and what isn’t. Remember the tactic may not be inherently wrong, it might be the execution of it.
Questions to ponder: Are you being consistent with your efforts? How will you stay motivated and keep yourself accountable?
“If you always do what you’ve always done, then you always get what you’ve always got.” I challenge you to ask yourself what you are going to do differently in your business now, to achieve a different result in the future.
I work with women entrepreneurs who need focus, clarity and a plan of action to intentionally and purposefully manifest their business destiny. If this is you, get in touch to find out how I can help you create a business you love!