Are you happy with your business? Have you hit all the goals you were planning on for the year (or in general)?
If not, you’re SO not alone! In fact, if you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably ended up with the exact opposite of what you intended when you started your business. And the dreams and goals you had have been lost in the day-to-day stress of running the business.
So instead of making more money and working less (or at least having a more flexible schedule), you’re actually working more and making less than ever before.
Thankfully, it’s YOUR business. You have the power to make it become anything you want. You just have to know what you want and make a plan to get there.
That means taking time to step back, reassess your business and your goals and make changes. Below are a few simple yet powerful steps you can take to do exactly that.
1. Schedule at least one hour (but ideally a half-day) every month to do the following:
- Find a quiet space with no distractions where you can sit and think uninterrupted. No music…no TV…no kids or family. These days it’s hard to hear yourself think, and you really need to listen to yourself if you want to move your business forward.
- Now ask yourself these questions…
- Why did I start my business? What were my original goals and intentions?
- Am I achieving those goals, or on the road to doing so?
- What am I doing now that’s working?
- What am I doing now that’s not working?
- If I wasn’t restricted by time, money or know-how, what would/could/should I do differently?
- How can I make those things happen?
This last one is especially important, because it’s easy to say you want to do something but can’t because you don’t have the time, money or expertise. So my rule is, every time you think “That would be great for my business, but I can’t do it because…” immediately stop and think “Wait, how could I actually do it?”
By focusing on the solution instead of the problems, you’re much more likely to find a way to make it happen.
2. Make time at least once a week to take a minimum of a 15-minute walk during your day by yourself.
Then ponder these same questions—or any other problems or questions you have—while you walk.
Taking time alone away from the daily grind gives your brain a chance to work on problems and come up with fresh ideas and solutions. Walking lets you slow down and think in a different way. And you can’t knock getting a little exercise to boot.
Remember, 15 minutes is nothing. It’s a short stroll around the block. It’s the commercials that go along with an hour of TV. You CAN make this happen.
If you can walk for 30 minutes to an hour, even better. And if you can do this three times a week or even daily, that’s ideal. But do what you can as long as you do something.
3. Make a hard and fast appointment in your calendar every week to spend time thinking about and working ON your business.
Treat it as if it were a meeting with a client…because it is!
Whatever you do, don’t feel guilty for taking this time away from your never-ending to-do list. I promise this is just as important, if not more so. And in the long run, spending time working ON your business (instead of just IN it) is going to have a tremendous impact on your success.
