HUSTLE – CREATE THE BUSINESS YOU WANT
Business headlines are all doom and gloom. That doesn’t include us! With headlines like we see currently no wonder we all feel less motivated and wonder what is the point? We need to motivate ourselves and use these months to gain the best advantage to move ahead and create the scalable business we need. Not convinced? Stop. Right. There. You decide the reality of your day and waiting around for action to start should not be on anyone’s business agenda.
I love quotes from top motivational speakers and there are some of our favourites peppered through some helpful pointers to help you get what you planned:
(1) Are you limiting yourself?
As a small business owner or sole trader there are only so many hours a day and you can only work 18 hours a day for so long before you drop. Are you using your time wisely? Are you working hard, but not making a profit?
Now is the time to examine why.
I have met many business owners who fill their time with meetings and actions because they like to be busy. They think it is selling. It’s not. What is that time achieving? Take your online networking for example. Calculate how many sales you have made as a result of all this time spent Zoom networking and then measure that against the time and expenses involved in it. Is it worth it? If it is lifting your spirits and you are returning because you feel pumped up and enthused then great but, as with all activity, measure it. If it’s taking up loads of time and has a mainly social benefit then revise the time you devote. Its all about making smart choices over how you spend your time.
Are you doing “stuff” at the expense of spending time on your own business? Are you worried about taking a day to plan for your business? If so, you are putting a ceiling on your own income because every business needs to be planned. Yes, we mean here, planning daily and executing ON your business – not just doing the stuff you need to do IN your business.
As Zig Ziglar says, “You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”
(2) Focus
So whilst others are lamenting you can stop sitting moping and do something. Don’t be a whinge pants, you have control over your own life and how it pans out. Spend some time on your business and think about what you want to do and achieve in 3 months, 6 months or next year and plan 2 or 3 steps to make it happen.
As Tony Robbins says, “Where focus goes, energy flows.”
(3) Set your goals
To reach a target you need to know and understand what that target is. An athlete can’t run and win a race if they don’t know where the finish line is. Saying “I want to make more money” is not going to be enough. How much? By when? What are you going to sell? How many enquiries will it take to make those sales?
Set the goals you want to achieve in the next 12 months and work out how you are going to achieve them. So, if you want to make £30,000 a month
– what will you sell?
– how much do you need to sell?
As Tony Robbins says, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
(4) Is your business scalable?
If you want to build a business empire is what you are doing now scalable? If you are currently a sole trader delivering a one to one service how are you going to multiply yourself? You may this doesn’t apply to you but if illness hits (yours or a close family member) you need to have some services that can operate without you at the helm 24/7.
Think about factors such as
– how you can transfer what you do to enable others to replicate it?
– processes which will automate aspects of what you do – it also will make things easier and more efficient
– creating something that you can deliver “one to many”?
As Wayne Dyer says, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
(5) Get your pricing house in order
Business is NOT about being busy. Success is not measured by the fact that you work 12 hours a day. Business is about making money, so start by being really clear about your pricing.
You sell to make a profit, taking into account what it costs you to sell/produce what you sell. At its simplest if something costs you £1 and you sell it for only £1 or less, then you won’t make a profit. Base your prices realistically, based on factors such as
- your buyer profile – get feedback/input and listen to what they say
- your market – know what your competitors are doing
- understanding what it costs you to sell/deliver
It not about having the lowest prices either – make sure your buyers know your value. As Warren Buffett says, make sure your buyers know “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
Make this your year – as Wayne Dyer says, “Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.”
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